Rescue Ops Resume in Flooded Assam Mine, Supervisor Held

The efforts to reach the workers trapped in an Assam coal mine made headway on Friday as the rescuers reduced the water level inside the flooded quarry, officials aware of the matter said, adding that the supervisor of the labourers, who was absconding since the disaster, was arrested.

- Utpal Parashar

In Guwahati, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the mine was earlier run by the state's mines and minerals department but was abandoned 12 years ago, calling Monday's mining operation "illegal".

The ongoing rescue work in the state's Dima Hasao district was suspended on Thursday after authorities appeared unable to reduce the estimated 100 feet of water in the mine, with officials suggesting that an underground aquifer was constantly inundating the main pit and the tunnels that branched out.

"We used five traditional pumps to drain out the water on Friday, which resulted in the water level in the mine going down by around 7m (around 23 feet). The process of dewatering other nearby mines is also underway to ensure that water from those doesn't enter the mine where the mishap took place," said GD Tripathi, CEO of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).