Guwahati:
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Vishwa Sharma on Tuesday said that one person has been arrested in connection with the case of nine workers trapped inside a coal mine in Dima Hasao district. Sharma said the mine “appears to be illegal”. He also informed that a case has been registered in connection with the incident that took place on Monday in Umrangso area. A district official said that rescue work is going on since Monday but till now no worker has been taken out of the mine.
The Navy team is now spearheading the rescue efforts. https://t.co/IRIyde93AQ pic.twitter.com/GcHyoribrw
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 7, 2025
He said, “Prima facie it appears to be an illegal mine. A person named Puneesh Nunisa has been arrested in connection with the case.” Sharma said naval divers have been called in to help local authorities in rescuing nine workers trapped in the mine as the water level inside the mine has risen by about 100 feet. He told that the divers are coming from Visakhapatnam and they are expected to reach soon.
The Chief Minister said on ‘X’, “Navy divers have been called to assist in the rescue operation. According to the assessment of the deployed team, the water level inside the mine has increased by about 100 feet. Divers are coming from Visakhapatnam and are expected to reach soon.
A defense spokesperson said Army personnel have been deployed to rescue the nine workers and a rescue force of experts, including divers and ‘sappers’ equipped with necessary equipment, has reached the site at Umrangso. He told that a task force of Army and Assam Rifles has started the work of rescuing the workers.
- Another officer said that all efforts are being made in coordination with the civil administration to rescue the stranded people. The Chief Minister thanked the Army for helping in the rescue operations.
- The Chief Minister wrote on the social media platform ‘X’, “Thank you very much for this quick response.” We are making every possible effort to ensure the safe return of our workers.
- NDRF and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel are also present at the spot to rescue the workers trapped in the coal mine. An official said that two machines have also been installed to pump out the water.
- Nine workers are trapped inside the Assam coal mine located in Umrangso since Monday due to sudden flooding. According to mine employees, there were about 15 workers inside the mine. However, officials did not confirm the number.
According to the Chief Minister, workers named Ganga Bahadur Shreth, Hussain Ali, Zakir Hussain, Sarpa Barman, Mustafa Shaikh, Khushi Mohan Rai, Sanjeet Sarkar, Lijan Magar and Sarat Goyari are trapped in the mine.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by the NDTV team and is published directly from a syndicated feed.)
