In Assam, nine workers are stuck inside a coal mine because it got flooded with underground water. The accident happened in a remote part of Dima Hasao district. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared this news on Monday.
Rescue teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are heading to the mine in Tin Kilo, Umrangshoo region. But, due to darkness, they will start rescuing the workers early on Tuesday morning.
Officials say the workers went down into the mine around 9 AM on Monday. Although it wasn’t raining in the area, underground water seems to have leaked into the mine, trapping them inside. The exact cause of the flooding is still unknown.
The mine is run by the state’s mines and minerals department and they had hired a private company for the mining work. However, no one from that company was at the site when the incident happened. The location of the mine is very remote, about six hours away from the nearest town, Halflong, which makes rescue operations even harder.
District officials first learned about the accident around 1 PM. By the time a police team arrived later, they could not find anyone to explain what happened. Due to the darkness, they decided to wait until 6 AM Tuesday to begin the rescue.
The chief minister has also asked the Army for help in the rescue efforts. He expressed his concern on social media, praying for the safety of the trapped workers.
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