A flooded coal mine in the Dima Hasao district of Assam, a north-eastern Indian state, has claimed the lives of three miners, while six remain trapped.
The miners, who had been working in the pit, were reported missing this week after water flooded the mine shaft.
Authorities believe the flood occurred when the workers accidentally breached an underground water channel, causing the pit to fill rapidly.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that rescue efforts have been ongoing since the incident. Teams from the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been involved to recover the bodies.
Rescuers are using pumps to drain the water, with helicopters and cranes deployed to aid the operation.
Despite these efforts, the coal mine remains heavily flooded, making it difficult to retrieve the trapped miners.
Sarma, on social blogging platform X, stated: “The police have registered an FIR under Umrangso PS Case No: 02/2025, citing Sections 3(5)/105 BNS, r/w Section 21(1) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, to investigate the incident.
“Prima facie, it appears to be an illegal mine. One Punish Nunisa has been arrested in connection with the case.”
Earlier in 2019, 15 miners lost their lives in another Indian northeast state Meghalaya when a river flooded an illegal mine.
Despite a ban on rat-hole mining by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2014, illegal mining operations continue due to high demand for coal and a lack of enforcement.
