With 8 Lives At Stake, Here's What's Hampering Rescue Ops In Assam Coal Mine

Search and rescue operations continue for eight miners trapped in an Assam quarry, with only one body recovered so far.

Multiple central and state agencies along with the Army, Navy, and Air Force are involved in the search and rescue operation.

Source : PTI

The operations to locate and rescue eight workers trapped inside a quarry in Assam's Dima Hasao district entered the fourth day on Friday with just the body of the ninth worker recovered by the rescuers so far.

Multiple central and state agencies along with all three arms of the Indian Armed Forces -- the Army, Navy, and Air Force -- are involved in the operation which is yet to locate the eight other workers trapped in the 'rat-hole' mine.

The workers were stuck in the 3 Kilo Coal Quarry in Umrangso after a sudden gush of water inundated the mine. The water, which has now mixed with coal, has turned acidic and murky posing a challenge for the divers, reported NDTV. 

The toxic water has made visibility and manoeuvrability difficult for the Navy's rescue teams, which include clearance divers trained in deep-depth diving and recovery operations. 

According to the experts, the divers had risked their lives to pull out the body of the ninth worker on Wednesday. Additionally, the murky water has made it difficult to use remote-operated vehicles, an official said, according to the report. 

To accelerate the rescue operations, an expert team of Nagpur-headquartered Western Coalfields Limited flew to Assam with a huge submersible pump to remove water from the mine. 

"A five-member team was flown to the accident site in a C-130 Hercules plane on January 8. The team is equipped with a massive submersible pump that can pump out 500 gallons of water per minute at a height of 150 metres, complex cable network, starters and other equipment to help rescue operations," a WCL release said.

Another challenge that is hampering the operation is the building of the quarry itself which has a main shaft leading to four small tunnels, each of it branching out and creating a large network. The unavailability of a blueprint of the mine is making the task more difficult, reported NDTV. 

Moreover, there are channels which are pouring water back into the tunnel, said Harmeet Singh, Special Director General of Police.