GUWAHATI: The bodies of three more miners were recovered from the rat-hole coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district on Saturday, raising the death toll to four. A joint rescue operation by the Army, Navy, and NDRF continued as five miners remain trapped inside the 3-Kilo Coal Quarry in the Umrangso area, about 250 km from Guwahati, after a sudden flooding on January 6.One of deceased has been identified as Lijen Magar, 27, from Kalamati village in Umrangso, Dima Hasao. Earlier, the body of another miner, a Nepalese national, was recovered from the mine on Monday.Magar’s body was found floating on accumulated water in the mine after the army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) divers went to bring out the worker, an official said.”Rescue efforts in Umrangsu continue with unwavering resolve. Tragically, another body was recovered this morning…Our hearts go out to the grieving, as we hold on to hope and strength in this difficult time,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.Official sources said dewatering efforts at the mine continued this morning. Notably, the 300-ft deep mine had a water level of around 100 ft, which decreased by 7 meters on Friday. Authorities deployed five pumps to drain the water and are installing a heavy pressure pump with a 500-gallon-per-minute capacity, flown in from Maharashtra by Coal India Limited.Despite earlier dewatering efforts, the water level failed to recede, prompting authorities to suspect a connection to an external water source. Consequently, water was pumped out from three nearby abandoned mines on Friday.Officials said another machine has been brought in from Nagpur and it will be operated from Saturday morning. They added that if it functions properly, the accumulated water is expected to be cleared by the evening.
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