Rescue efforts to save five miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district have been hindered by suspected water seepage from underground streams, officials said on Thursday.
Despite continuous dewatering operations involving multiple pumps, the water level in the mine remains stubbornly high.
“Water is being continuously pumped out. But it has been slow as it is now suspected that fresh water from some source underground keeps replenishing it,” an official said.
The rescue operation, led by personnel from the NDRF, SDRF, and the army, remains ongoing. However, navy divers who had joined the initial stages of the effort have since been withdrawn.
The tragedy unfolded on 6 January when the coal mine in the Umrangso area was suddenly flooded, trapping nine miners. Four bodies have since been retrieved.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed on Wednesday that 18 pumps are being used to drain the mine.
He explained, “Daily, about one foot of water is receding in the dewatering process. But we suspect that water from some underground stream is seeping in as the pace of water receding is slow and the water inside, which was black initially, is getting clearer now.”
Heavy machinery provided by ONGC and Coal India is assisting in the dewatering efforts. The water level, initially estimated at 100 feet, is gradually lowering, officials said.
Hopes of survival for the remaining trapped miners have diminished, though the rescue mission continues.
The chief minister noted that the mine, abandoned 12 years ago, was under the Assam Mineral Development Corporation’s jurisdiction until three years ago.
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