Haflong: Rescue work for the trapped miners in the coal mine of Umrangso was affected on Tuesday after heavy rain lashed the area. Despite several attempts, the rescue operation for the nine trapped miners at the coal mine in Umrangsho in Assam's Dima Hasao district was suspended for the day on Tuesday with no trace of the missing miners.
Besides the Army, Assam Rifles, NDRF and SDRF teams, who have already been carrying out rescue operations, a team of 12 personnel from the Indian Navy had already arrived at the coal mine site from Visakhapatnam on Tuesday evening to assist the rescuers. The rescuers, however, failed to make any headway as the water level was very high inside the mine. "Efforts are on to pump out the water from the flooded mine," an official of the NDRF said on Tuesday.
The rescue work was further affected on Tuesday evening after heavy rain lashed the Umrangsho area, increasing the water level in the flooded mine. The rescuers had made at least ten attempts to enter the flooded mine on Tuesday but failed due to high water levels.
NDRF officials said that the rescue works had to be suspended today due to the rain but it will resume in the morning tomorrow.
Earlier authorities had roped in deep divers from the Indian Navy who are working in tandem with NDRF and Army to rescue at least nine labourers trapped inside a coal mine since Monday morning after a sudden rush of water gushed into it. The incident took place at a coal mine located in the Tinkilo area under Umrangsu in the hilly Dima Hasao district.
There are unconfirmed reports that the bodies of three labourers have already been found inside the coal mine but are yet to be recovered.
Thirty teams of NDRF forces and eight teams of SDRF forces have already reached the spot to start rescue operations on Tuesday. District Commissioner of Dima Hasao District Seemanta Kumar Das and Superintendent of Police Mayank Kumar Jha reached Umrangso following the orders of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Meanwhile, the assistance of deep divers of the Indian Navy was sought to speed up the rescue operations. According to the rescue team deployed at the spot, the water level inside the mine has risen to about 100 feet. This was conveyed by Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma via X.
We have requested the Army’s assistance in the ongoing rescue operation. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are also on their way to the incident site to aid in the efforts. https://t.co/35ET3f80jr
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 6, 2025
A total of nine stranded labourers have been reported so far. They are: Ganga Bahadur Shreshtha (38) from Udaipur, Nepal, Hussain Ali (30) from Dalgaon, Zakir Hussain (38), also from Dalgaon, Sarpa Barman (46) from Gosaigaon, Mustafa Shaikh (44) from Dalgaon, Khushi Mohan Roy (57) from Fakiragram, Sanjit Sarkar (35) from Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, Lizan Magar (26) from Umrangso, Dima Hasao and Sarat Gayari (37) from Batasipur, Sonitpur.
Sarma took to social media to reveal the identity of the labourers trapped in the coal mine. According to locals, around 27 labourers had gone inside the mine around 9 am on Monday. A section of workers managed to come out due to the strong flow of water but the mine was submerged in the water. As a result, several labourers were stranded.
List of Laborers Trapped in Mine (Umrangsu)
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 6, 2025
1.Ganga Bahadur Shreth (38 years)
S/o: Late Man Harbhajan Shreth
R/o: Rampur (Dummana-2Bhijpur), PS Thoksila, Dist: Udayapur, Nepal
2.Hussain Ali (30 years)
S/o: Alom Uddin
R/o: Bagaribari, PS Shyampur, Dist: Darrang, Assam
3.Jakir… https://t.co/cCx6CYSa93
This coal mine is located on the Assam-Meghalaya border about 25 km from the Umrangso police station. The coal mine, which is about 300 feet deep, has already water gushed into about 100 feet.
Indian Army Mobilises Task Force
The Indian Army has mobilised a relief task force to rescue the trapped coal miners at Umrangshu, according to an official press statement from the Indian Army. This comes after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma sought the Army's assistance in the ongoing rescue operation.
As per the statement, the relief task force comprises specialists like divers, sappers and other relevant personnel with the necessary equipment. Senior officials of the Indian Army would also reach the incident site to coordinate with civil administration for speedy rescue of the trapped miners.
The statement reads, "On being requisitioned for assistance Indian Army has mobilized a relief task force for rescuing the miners trapped in Umrangso, a remote industrial town in Dima Hasao district, Assam. The relief task force comprises specialists like divers, sappers and other relevant personnel with the necessary equipment. Senior officials of the Indian Army will also be reaching the site to coordinate with civil administration for speedy rescue of the trapped miners."
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