GUWAHATI: Nine labourers were trapped inside a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district on Monday, after a sudden gush of water flooded the site, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
According to employees of the quarry, there were around 15 workers inside the mine, though the authorities did not confirm the number.
In a post on X, the CM listed the names of the trapped labourers -Ganga Bahadur Shreth, Hussain Ali, Jakir Hussain, Sarpa Barman, Mustafa Seikh, Khushi Mohan Rai, Sanjit Sarkar, Lijan Magar and Sarat Goyary.
In an earlier post, the chief minister said, "Distressing news from Umrangso. Labourers are trapped in a coal mine. The exact number and status are yet unknown. The DC, SP, and my colleague, Shri Kaushik Rai, are rushing to the site. Praying to God for everyone’s safety.'
"We have requested the Army’s assistance in the ongoing rescue operation. The State Disaster Response Force and the National Disaster Response Force are also on their way to the incident site to aid in the efforts," he added.
District Magistrate Simanta Das said that the officials are on their way to the site that is located in a remote area. It takes about seven hours to reach Umrangso from the district headquarters Haflong by road. “We are on our way to the place,” the DM told TNIE.
“We have not been able to collect proper information so far. According to preliminary information that we have received from the Umrangso police station, four to six people were trapped due to flooding in the coal mine. We don’t know what caused the flooding,” Das said.
DM said an assessment would be done by Monday night for a rescue operation on Tuesday morning.
According to the DM, the group leader of miners flees the place when such an incident occurs.
“Normally, a list containing the names and total number of miners is maintained by the team leader when they go down into a coal mine,” he said.
“The Assam Mines and Minerals Department monitors issues over mines. We have asked the department to send an officer to coordinate the rescue operation. The SDRF will be engaged in the rescue operation. We will call the NDRF if required. We were told one Nunisa is the owner of the coal mine,” he added.
Coal mine tragedies are common in the Northeast, particularly Meghalaya.
In January last year, a fire in a coal mine in Nagaland's Wokha district had left six workers dead. Four others were also injured.
In May last year, a mine in Assam’s Tinsukia district caved in, killing three miners. Then in September 2022, three coal miners were killed by inhaling suspected toxic gas in the same district.
The biggest tragedy in recent memories was the death of 15 miners in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya’s Ksan area on December 13, 2018.
(With inputs from PTI)