Assam mining tragedy: 'Sardar' of labourers held, dewatering exercise underway

Guwahati: The 'sardar' of workers of the coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district, where eight miners remained trapped, was arrested, even as a dewatering exercise continued in the quarry to facilitate the resumption of rescue operations, police said on Friday.

The fate of the trapped miners appeared to be grim with personnel involved in the rescue operations racing against time to bring them out of the ill-fated quarry, while the body of one labourer, hailing from Nepal, has been recovered from there, an official said.

"The 'sardar' (head) of the miners, who had fled the quarry site soon after the incident on January 6, was arrested on Thursday night from a place after an extensive search operation. This is the second arrest in connection with the case," said a senior officer who did not divulge the place of arrest.

The arrested person has been identified as Hanan Laskar, and Punish Nunisa, the lease-holder of the quarry, was held on the second day of the incident in connection with the case, the official said.

The labourers were on Monday trapped inside the 3-Kilo Coal Quarry in Umrangso area, around 250 km from Guwahati, after a sudden gush of water flooded the site.

A case was registered in connection with the incident at the mine which appears to be ‘illegal’, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said.

Nine labourers were trapped inside the mine after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry, and the body of one labourer has been recovered so far.

Dewatering of the quarry, which is 340 feet deep, has been continuing with specialised machines brought in by ONGC and Coal India, the official said.

The divers from the navy and the army will go down into the mine again to conduct rescue operations after considerable water is cleared, the official said.

Navy, army, Assam Rifles, NDRF, SDRF and civil administration are engaged in the rescue operations and are positioned at the site, the official said.