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Umrangso: 9 Miners Trapped, Rescue Ops Ongoing, Opposition To Protest

The Chief Minister mentioned in a social media post that the army’s assistance has been requested to aid in the rescue operations. The state and central disaster response forces—SDRF and NDRF—were on their way to the site of the incident.

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Umrangso: 9 Miners Trapped, Rescue Ops Ongoing, Opposition To Protest

Sudden flooding at a coal mine in Assam’s Umrangso trapped nine workers on Monday with rescue operations underway. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma released a list of miners trapped, most of whom are from Assam, including one from West Bengal and another from Nepal.

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The Chief Minister mentioned in a social media post that the army’s assistance has been requested to aid in the rescue operations. The state and central disaster response forces—SDRF and NDRF—were on their way to the site of the incident, according to a previous update.


List of workers trapped in Umrangso mine

Sl No. Name Age Residence
1 Ganga Bahadur Shreth 38 Udayapur, Nepal
2 Hussain Ali 30 Darrang, Assam
3 Jakir Hussain 38 Darrang, Assam
4 Sarpa Barman 46 Kokrajhar, Assam
5 Mustafa Seikh 44 Darrang, Assam
6 Khusi Mohan Rai 57 Kokrajhar, Assam
7 Sanjit Sarkar 35 Jalpaiguri, West Bengal
8 Lijan Magar 26 Dima Hasao, Assam
9 Sarat Goyary 37 Sonitpur, Assam

Notably, sudden and unexpected flooding of a mine at the Assam Coal Quarry in the 3 Kilo area of Umrangso, Dima Hasao district in Assam along the Meghalaya border trapped the miners working there. As per reports, the coal mine is around 300 feet deep with inundation levels touching the 100-feet mark. This has severely impacted rescue efforts, added reports.

Dima Hasao's Superintendent of Police, Mayank Kumar Jha, confirmed the situation. Eyewitnesses and employees from the quarry initially indicated that there were around 15 workers in the mine at the time of the incident.

Allegations Emerge

Meanwhile, local opposition alleged that the mine where the disaster took place is managed by Kanika Gorlosa, the wife of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council's Chief Executive Member (CEM), Debolal Gorlosa.

Protest Against Illegal Mining

In the wake of this tragic incident, former MLA, Samarjit Haflongbar, along with other local leaders, condemned the ongoing illegal mining in Umrangso.

The ex-MLA announced plans to hold a massive protest in Haflong tomorrow, calling for an end to illegal coal mining in the region. The protest aims to draw attention to the unsafe and illegal mining practices endangering workers’ lives.

Various organizations also rallied support for the protest, urging the public to unite for the safety and well-being of the people of Dima Hasao.

Also Read: Assam: Labourers Trapped In Flooded Coal Mine, Rescue Ops Underway

Himanta Biswa Sarma Umrangso Coal Mine Samarjit Haflongbar