‘Water Carried Me Out, Others Still Trapped’: Survivor of Flooded Assam Mine Recounts Escape

Umrangso: A body has been recovered, and eight miners remain trapped after water flooded a 340-foot-deep rat-hole mine in Assam’s Umrangso area on Monday. Rescue teams, including the Navy, Army, NDRF, and SDRF, are working tirelessly, but officials admit the chances of finding the trapped miners alive are slim.

Survivor H. Islam, who started work at the Assam Coal Quarry last week, recounted his harrowing escape. "We began work around 6:30 am, and an hour later, I heard people shouting. I told someone I call 'Mama,' 'There's water, run if you want to live.' I got halfway out when the water’s force knocked me down. With no helmets, just cloths wrapped around our heads, I let the water carry me to the surface. That saved me," he said.

Another worker, Jalaluddin, who was off-shift, said, "Four of my 10 roommates were working. Only one has come back. The mine is 300 feet deep with narrow tunnels. We have to bend or crouch to mine coal. There’s no safety gear, no helmets."

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasized the ongoing rescue efforts, saying, “The operation is in full swing. Army and NDRF divers have entered the well. Navy personnel are on-site, preparing to dive. SDRF de-watering pumps have been sent, and an ONGC pump loaded on an MI-17 helicopter at Kumbhigram is awaiting weather clearance for deployment.”

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