Atleast 18 labourers are trapped in a coal mine in Assam after water entered in a “rat hole” mine on Monday. The 300-foot deep coal mine is located in Umrango, a remote industrial town in the district of Dima Hasao in Assam.
As per the sources, water has risen upto to 100 feet at an illegal quarry. Police and rescue teams have reached the spot and are using two motor pumps for water suction. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have left for immediate action in the rescue process.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma reacts
Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has requested for the SDRF and NDRF assistance in the ongoing rescue operation. CM posted, on X showing concern regarding the rescue operation, “The DC,SP and my colleague, Shri Kaushik Rai, are rushing to the site. Praying to God for everyone’s safety”.
Sarma retweets highlighting, “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”.
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Speaking to a news agency, Dima Hasao Superintendent of Police (SP) Mayank Kumar Jha said, “Several people feared trapped inside a coal mine in the Umrangso area in the Dima Hasao district. We can’t say the exact figure as of now.”
What is “rat-hole” mining
Rat-hole mining is a hazardous and illegal method of coal mining practiced mostly in the Northeast India. It involves digging narrow, vertical tunnels leading to coal beds. Miners, including children, crawl through these tunnels, facing extreme danger from toxic gases, explosions, and tunnel collapses. The practice has been banned by India’s National Green Tribunal due to its devastating environmental and human rights impacts.
Similar incidents
In 2019, Meghalaya, was fined Rs 100 crore for showing incapability to reduce the illegal mines in the state by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Also the National Green Tribunal (NGT) found around 24,000 mines to be illegal.
In 2018, at least 15 miners were trapped in the similar condition in an illegal coal mine in the East Jaintia Hills district in Meghalaya after water ran into the mine from a nearby river.
