Hope fades for men trapped in Assam coal mine as a body is recovered
The body of one of the miners trapped in an illegal coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasai district was recovered on Wednesday morning, officials confirmed.
The recovery of the first body comes 48 hours after at least nine miners working in a rat hole mine in Dima Hasao’s Umrangso coal reserves got trapped on Monday morning, after the mine was flooded with water.
Deep sea divers joined the rescue operations on Tuesday evening, joining teams of the NDRF, SDRF and the Army who were already at the spot.
Officials have said that the primary challenge in the rescue operation is the water levels inside the mine, saying that it has a depth of 200 feet. Another impediment is the lack of adequate equipment to pump out the water at a fast pace.
The government has said the mine was illegal and has arrested a person in connection with the case.
The trapped men are from Assam, Nepal and West Bengal.
