Assam: Survivor of deadly India mine collapse recounts harrowing escape

A coal mine in Assam, India, experienced a flooding incident, with a survivor recounting the harrowing moments after the tunnel was inundated with water. Ravi Rai was working in the mine on Monday morning when a large volume of water suddenly rushed into the pit.

Rai recalled, "We were in 15 to 18 meters of water, holding onto ropes for at least 50 minutes before being rescued." Currently, rescuers are racing against time to save miners trapped in the flooded mine in a remote part of Assam. Officials have stated that one body has been found, and it is reported that two others may have died, with six more believed to still be trapped in the mine.

Rai, who is from Nepal, said he was working in what is known as a "rat-hole" mine. These mines are narrow, hand-dug holes used for extracting coal. He said, "We were working in the mine, and suddenly water came in. We didn’t know where the water came from... We ran to save our lives. Then, we were holding onto ropes in about 15 to 18 meters of water." He and some others held onto ropes connected to a crane for nearly an hour, and Rai said that several times he was worried he wouldn’t survive. “We slipped back into the water, but managed to escape,” he said.

Local media reported that a dozen miners managed to escape from the tunnel, but official numbers have not been given. Despite being injured, Rai is thankful to be safe. However, one of his colleagues, also from Nepal, is still trapped. Rai said, “My family hasn’t come here yet, I don’t think they have been notified.” The accident occurred on Monday, reportedly after water from a nearby abandoned mine suddenly flooded in, trapping nine men in a mine in the Dima Hasao hills.

According to the ANI news agency, the Navy has deployed deep-sea divers and rescue teams to save the trapped miners and pump water out of the mine, while the Army has sent helicopters, engineers, and divers to assist in the rescue. Officials stated that the high water level inside the mine is posing a significant challenge to the rescue and recovery efforts. HPS Kandari, a senior official with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said it is hard to estimate how long the operation will take. "It's hard to get into the water, you can barely see anything, and we don't know what's inside," he said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the flooded mine appears to be illegal. Police are investigating the case and have arrested one person. India banned so-called "rat-hole" mining in 2014, but despite this, small illegal mines continue to operate in Assam and other northern and northeastern states, and accidents are not uncommon here. In January 2024, a fire in a rat-hole coal mine in Nagaland killed six workers. In 2018, at least 15 men were trapped in an illegal mine in Meghalaya after water from a nearby river flooded the mine. Five miners managed to escape, but rescue efforts for the others continued until March of the following year. Only two bodies were eventually recovered.