Assam mining tragedy: Bodies of three more trapped workers recovered, toll rises to 4

The four deceased labourers were among the nine workers trapped inside the mine in Umrangsu on Monday after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry.

Guwahati: Divers on Saturday fished out bodies of three workers from a flooded coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district, where they had been trapped since January 6, an official said.

With this recovery, bodies of four out of the total nine workers stuck in the flooded quarry were found. The first one was recovered from the mine in Umrangshu, around 250 km from Guwahati, on Wednesday.

"The rescue operations resumed this morning and three bodies were recovered six days after the incident,” the official said.

The three were identified as Ligen Magar (27) of Dima Hasao district, Khushi Mohan Rai (57) of Kokrajhar district and Sarat Goyary (37) of Sonitpur district. The body of one labourer hailing from Nepal was found on January 8.

The bodies were found floating on accumulated water in the mine after two days of dewatering. Divers of the army, navy and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) brought them out, the official said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said about the recovery of the bodies in a post on X.

"Rescue efforts in Umrangsu continue with unwavering resolve… Our hearts go out to the grieving, as we hold on to hope and strength in this difficult time," he added.

Dewatering of the quarry was continuing with the help of five pumps throughout the day, the official said.

The water level of the mine has gone down to 12 metres from 26 metres on Friday, he said.

Currently, a search operation is being conducted with the help of an underwater Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV), the official added.

The chief minister on Friday night said that the mine was abandoned 12 years ago and was under the Assam Mineral Development Corporation till three years ago.

''It was not an illegal mine but an abandoned one. The workers had entered the mine that day for the first time to extract coal," Sarma had said. He said that the leader of the workers has been arrested and the police are conducting investigations into the case. On the alleged involvement of a family member of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council's Chief Executive Member Debolal Gorlosa in the incident, the chief minister said, ''This is a human tragedy and we should not politicise it".

Altogether nine workers were trapped inside the coal mine in Umrangsu district on Monday after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry.

Meanwhile, Assam Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Saturday said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an SIT probe into the mining tragedy.

He also alleged that "illegal mining continues unchecked" due to "weak law enforcement and local complicity" in the northeastern state.

Gogoi urged the prime minister that the proposed secial investigation team (SIT) should not only look into the "illegal" operation of the mine and identify those responsible for this tragedy but also address the broader issues at play. ''This includes the failure to enforce the NGT's (National Green Tribunal) ban on rat-hole mining, the complicity of local authorities-including the district administration and district police - who have enabled these illegal activities to persist, despite repeated accidents and warnings," the Congress leader alleged.

Rat-hole mining involves digging narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed “rat-holes”, as each just about fits one person.