Rescue Efforts in Assam Coal Mine Turn Grim with First Body Found

Rescue teams recovered the body of one of the miners trapped in an illegal coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district on Wednesday morning.

The recovery comes 48 hours after at least nine miners were trapped on Monday morning when water flooded the rat-hole mine in the Umrangso coal reserves of Dima Hasao.

Deep-sea divers joined the rescue efforts on Tuesday evening, bolstering the work of NDRF, SDRF, and Army teams already at the site.

Officials cited extreme water levels—reaching depths of 200 feet—as the primary hurdle in the operation, alongside the lack of sufficient equipment to pump water out rapidly.

Authorities have confirmed the mine's illegal status and arrested one individual in connection with the incident.