9 labourers trapped in flooded coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Monday night that nine people were trapped within a coal mine that was 300 feet deep and situated in the industrial town of Umrangso in the Dima Hasao district.

Ganga Bahadur Shreth, Hussain Ali, Jakir Hussain, Sarpa Barman, Mustafa Seikh, Khusi Mohan Rai, Sanjit Sarkar, Lijan Magar, and Sarat Goyary were the labourers who were stranded, as identified by the chief minister.

According to the chief minister, the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force are en route to the accident scene to carry out search and rescue missions. He went on to say that the Army has also been asked for help, Scroll.in reported.

“The place is very remote and is accessible through a jungle,” Dima Hasao’s District Commissioner, Simanta K Das, told The Hindu. “We received information about the mishap at 2.00 pm. Since the place is difficult to reach, we will get the actual picture after reaching the place tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.”

The unstable structure of the mine and the ongoing water inflow are also posing significant obstacles to rescue teams on the scene. According to India Today Northeast, the workers and rescue crews are at risk due to the unstable nature of the flooded mine.

According to reports, the workers were stuck because of unexpected floods and had little time to flee. As all escape routes were blocked off by the constantly rising water levels, witnesses at the scene reported scenes of panic.