3 more bodies found in inundated Assam mine

Three more bodies were recovered from a flooded coal mine in Assam on Saturday, taking the toll to four, as rescuers continued to search for the workers missing in the 300feet quarry since Monday, officials aware of the matter said.

- Utpal Parashar

Officials said that at least five more workers were trapped in the mine but it wasn't clear if that was the final figure, as the illegal operation kept no records. It was also unclear if any of the workers were alive as the multi-agency rescue effort involving personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), army, navy, and local police entered its sixth day.

"Three bodies of the trapped workers were found on Saturday. A drone camera used to check the mine detected the bodies, following which divers from NDRF, army and navy went down and retrieved them," said GD Tripathi, CEO of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

The three deceased, all residents of Assam, were identified as Ligen Magar (27) from Dima Hasao district, Khushi Mohan Rai (57) from Kokrajhar district, and Sarat Goyary (37) from Sonitpur district. On Wednesday, authorities recovered the body of 38-year-old Nepal resident Ganga Bahadur Shrestha.

"I talked to him over phone around 1.30 am on Monday before he went down the mine. I informed him that our son was unwell. He had assured me that he would finish work soon and return home," Magar's wife, Junu Pradhan, earlier said.

Tripathi said the three bodies were bloated as they were underwater for close to a week, and as a result, floated closer to the surface, which made it easier to retrieve them.