Assam: Search for missing India miners ends as bodies recovered after 44 days

The bodies of five trapped miners have been recovered from a flooded coal mine in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, bringing an end to a 44-day search operation by rescue teams.

Due to the decomposed state of the bodies, DNA testing will be conducted to confirm the identities of the deceased, a government official told the BBC.

Nine miners were trapped on January 6 when the coal mine flooded, which was a "rat-hole" mine, where coal is extracted by manually digging narrow tunnels. Four bodies were initially found within the first week, and the search and rescue operation continued until Wednesday, when the remaining bodies were located.

Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on the social media platform X that "Identification procedures have been initiated." Riki Pukan, an official with the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, said that the miners' families have been summoned to identify the bodies, and the state government will provide them with compensation.

The search and rescue operation took place at the Umrongso coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district and was jointly conducted by the Special Disaster Response Force, along with the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, state police, and the District Disaster Management Authority. While divers and helicopters were deployed, the remote, mountainous terrain of the mine presented significant challenges.

Previously, a worker who was rescued from the mine recounted to the BBC the terrifying moments after the tunnel was suddenly flooded. Ravi Rai, a worker from Nepal, said that water rushed into the mine while he was working inside. "We grabbed the rope in 15-18 meters of water for at least 50 minutes before being pulled out," he said.

Although India has banned "rat-hole" mining since 2014, small-scale illegal mines continue to operate in Assam and other northeastern states. In January 2024, a fire in a rat-hole coal mine in Nagaland killed six workers. In 2018, at least 15 people were trapped when an illegal mine in Meghalaya was flooded by a nearby river.

Following the recent accident, Assam police stated that they are investigating illegal mining activities in the state.