New Delhi: Forty-eight hours after the operation was mounted to rescue eight miners in a flooded rat-hole mine in Assam, the rescuers from 21 Para SF have recovered the body of a miner on Wednesday. Seve miners are still trapped in the 300-feet deep mine, which has multiple tunnels.
The tragedy struck when the miners hit a water source in the mine on Monday morning. The Army, Navy, NDRF and local rescuers are involved in the rescue operation.
Rescue ops hampered due to flooding
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the heavy flooding has hampered the rescue work on Tuesday. He said the expert divers entered the mine early on Wednesday and were able to recover a body.
“The rescue operation is in full swing with Army and NDRF divers having already entered the well. Navy personnel are on-site, making final preparations to dive in after them. Meanwhile, SDRF de-watering pumps have departed from Umrangshu for the location. Additionally, the ONGC de-watering pump has been loaded onto an MI-17 helicopter at Kumbhigram, awaiting weather clearance for deployment,” Assam CM wrote on X on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed a chopper and an aircraft for the rescue. The rescue operation was stopped on Tuesday night and was again started on Wednesday morning. Indian army’s divers and engineers’ task force is also aiding in the rescue operation.
How the tragedy struck
The site where the tragedy struck has a rat-hole mine nearby. During the mining, the water seeped into the mine trapping the miners. The water has filled the area up to 100 feet. Two motors have been deployed to pump out the water. Meanwhile, the police have arrested the mine owner Puneet Nunisa in connection with the incident.
The expert divers have been sent into the mine through a trolley. The army team has set up a temporary team near the mine to monitor the rescue operation. Navy divers are also in the mine to look for survivors.
