6 More Held Over Assam Miners' Deaths, Ops Go On

Assam police on Sunday arrested six more people from Dima Hasao district in connection with the death of four miners at the rat-hole coal mine which was flooded on January 6, trapping at least nine.

- Biswa Kalyan Purkayastha

SILCHAR: Bodies of four people were later retrieved from the mine between January 7 and 16, officers said, adding that the rescue operations will continue.

Dima Hasao superintendent of police (SP) Mayank Kumar Jha said a total of 11 people have been arrested so far for offences under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 21(1) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.

Nearly 40 workers had illegally entered the mine at 3 Kilo in Dima Hasao on January 6 when water flooded the quarry probably after they hit an underground source. While around 25 of them managed to escape the nearly 300-feet deep well-shaped mine, at least nine got trapped.