Three individuals remained stuck within an unauthorized rat-hole mine in Assam’s Tinsukia district for a second consecutive day on Monday, as rescue efforts persisted, according to officials.
There are concerns among officials that the trapped individuals may have perished, but confirmation of their deaths would only be possible upon recovery of their bodies.
The incident occurred at the Tikok West mining site in Ledo, between Bargolai and Namdang areas, around 12:30 am on Sunday.
According to a senior official from the district administration, three individuals, namely Dawa Cherpa from Bhojpur in Nepal, and two workers from Meghalaya named John and Fenaal, find themselves trapped inside the illicit rat-hole mine following a landslide in the Patkai hills.
A total of four laborers participated in the acquisition of coal from the illicit mine. Among them, three individuals ventured into the mine, while the fourth worker provided aid in the transportation of the coal. Unfortunately, the unforeseen occurrence of a landslide resulted in the entrapment of the three workers within the mine.
The official mentioned that there is a suspicion that the individuals perished within the coal mine, however, confirmation cannot be made until their bodies are retrieved. Various agencies have been summoned to aid in the ongoing rescue operations.
