Around 18 workers are feared trapped after water entered a 'rat hole' mine in Assam today. The 90-meter deep coal mine is located in Umrangso, a remote industrial town in Dima Hasao district.
The water has reached about 30 meters from the illegal quarry, sources said. Police and rescue teams are on site and are using two motor pumps to pump out the water.
Teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have left for the area close to the Meghalaya border.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the state has sought the army's help in the ongoing rescue operation.
We have sought the army's assistance in the ongoing rescue operation. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are also on their way to the incident site to assist in the efforts. https://t.co/35ET3f80jr
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 6, 2025
“Rathole” mining is a dangerous technique in which narrow tunnels are dug manually by workers. These tunnels lead to deep wells from which coal is extracted. They are also harmful to the environment because the acidic water and heavy metals discharged from the mines are toxic to water sources used for agriculture and human consumption.
In 2018, fifteen miners were trapped in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district after water from a nearby river flowed into it. The National Disaster Response Force had seen only two bodies, its then commander, SK Sastri, had said.
In 2019, Meghalaya was fined Rs 100 crore by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for failing to curb illegal coal mining in the state. The NGT had found that most of the 24,000 mines in the state were illegal.
