Three miners are feared to have died inside a flooded coal mine in Assam’s northeastern region, with nine others still trapped as rescue efforts continue.
Three bodies have been spotted by rescue teams but have not yet been recovered, according to a statement by local authorities in Assam’s Dima Hasao district on Tuesday. Twelve miners were trapped when the mine flooded on Monday.Divers, helicopters, and engineers have been sent to assist in the rescue operation by the Indian military.

The mine was flooded yesterday due to an internal source. It is believed that the miners hit a water channel, causing the water to surge in and flood the mine,” said Mayank Kumar, district police chief in Dima Hasao.
According to Assam’s Mines Minister Kaushik Rai, the workers are feared to be trapped 300 feet (91 metres) underground after water from a nearby unused mine flooded the site.
Resources are being mobilised to rescue the trapped miners, officials confirmed.
Photographs shared on social media by the army showed rescue workers using ropes, cranes, and other equipment at the edge of a large, vertical mine shaft.


In India’s eastern and northeastern regions, coal is often extracted under hazardous conditions in small, illegal “rat hole” mines located in hilly areas. After extraction, the coal is hoisted to the surface in boxes using pulleys. Accidents occur frequently in these operations.
In a notable disaster in 2019, at least 15 miners were buried when an illegal mine in the neighbouring state of Meghalaya was flooded by water from a nearby river.
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