Three miners die inside flooded Assam coal mine, Naval divers called to recue workers trapped in mine

Guwahati:� The Assam government on Tuesday called a team of Naval divers to rescue at least nine mine workers trapped in the flooded coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district.

Informing that three miners were feared dead inside a flooded coal mine, the authorities said, “The mine got flooded yesterday — the source was internal. They (the miners) probably hit some water channel and water came out and flooded it.”

The local government in a statement said, “Three bodies have been spotted by rescue teams but have not yet been recovered.”

A specialised relief team, comprising divers and sappers with necessary equipment, has arrived at the Umrangso location to save the miners.

Army teams which was called to rescue the minors deployed divers, helicopters and engineers to help rescue the nine men, who have been trapped since Monday in the mine.

Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced that naval divers have been called in to support local rescue teams in retrieving nine labourers trapped in a coal mine, where water levels have reached approximately 100 feet.

The naval diving team, travelling from Visakhapatnam, is expected to arrive at the site shortly, he said. “Navy deep divers have been requisitioned to assist in the rescue operation. The water level inside the mine has risen to nearly 100 feet, according to the assessment by the stationed team. The divers are flying in from Visakhapatnam and are expected to arrive soon," the chief minister said in his social media post.

The incident occurred around 7am on Monday at the Assam Coal Quarry in the 3 Kilo area of Umrangso, located in Dima Hasao district.

Quarry employees reported that approximately 15 workers were inside the mine, but authorities have not confirmed the exact number.