UMRANGSO: A second body has been recovered from the Assam Coal Quarry in Umrangso, Dima Hasao district, where at least nine miners are feared trapped following flooding.
The body, identified as 27-year-old Lijan Magar, a resident of Umrangso, was retrieved on Saturday morning by Indian Army personnel assisting with the rescue operation. This marks the second fatality in the ongoing rescue mission since Monday, when the incident occurred.
On Wednesday, divers from the Army’s 21 Paras had found the body of Ganga Bahadur Srestho, a miner from Udaypur, Nepal, who had been trapped beneath a submerged trolley. The mine was about 300 feet deep. Reportedly, the mine was said to be flooded, thereby further complicating the rescue.
According to sources by Friday afternoon, the water level in the mine had dropped around seven meters and a heavy-duty pump from Coal India Limited is due to supplement further dewatering operations.
The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, also appealed and wished that the rescue work would continue with a lot of determination, but at present, it has come to light that nine miners are still missing, though officials believe this number is much higher.
The mine, which had been abandoned for 12 years before it was illegally reopened, has sparked questions over its legal status. Police have arrested two people related to the case, including the head of the workers, Hanan Laskar, and the mine's leaseholder, Punish Nunisa.
Also Watch: