9 Labourers Trapped As Water Enters 'Rat Hole' Mine In Assam

Nine labourers were trapped after water entered a "rat hole" mine in Assam today. The 300-foot deep coal mine is located in Umrangso, a remote industrial town in Dima Hasao district. 

Water has reached about 100 feet of the illegal quarry, sources said. Police and rescue teams are at the spot and using motor pumps to pump out the water. 

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma released a list of the workers - Ganga Bahadur Shreth (38), Hussain Ali (30),  Jakir Hussain (38), Sarpa Barman (46), Mustafa Seikh (44), Khusi Mohan Rai (57), Sanjit Sarkar (35), Lijan Magar (26), Sarat Goyary (37) - who were stuck in the mine. 

Teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have left for the area that is close to the Meghalaya border.

Earlier, the Chief Minister said the state has requested the Army's assistance in the ongoing rescue operation.

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. https://t.co/35ET3f80jr

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 6, 2025

"Rat hole" mining is a hazardous technique where narrow tunnels are manually dug by workers. These tunnels lead to deep pits from which coal is mined. They also harm 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, 15 miners were trapped in an illegal coal mine in the East Jaintia Hills district in Meghalaya after water from a nearby river gushed into it. Only two bodies were the National Disaster Response Force had seen, the then commandant, 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.