Assam Mining Tragedy: Survival Chances of 5 Trapped Workers Slim, Navy Divers Withdrawn; Dewatering Exercise Enters Day 9

Guwahati: Navy divers have been withdrawn from rescue operations at a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district with the hope of survival of five trapped labourers appearing to be slim even as dewatering exercise entered the ninth day on Tuesday, officials said.

Dewatering of the quarry, which is 340 feet deep, continued with specialised machines brought in by ONGC and Coal India.

The water level, which was initially at 100 ft, is coming down gradually and on Monday, it further receded by 3 metres, an official said.

It was difficult to say when the water would be ''completely cleared or when the rescue and search operations inside the quarry would resume'', he added.

"Navy divers, who were requisitioned for rescue operations since January 7 have been withdrawn and moved out of the site," another official said.

Nine workers were trapped inside the mine in Umrangsu on January 6 after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry.

Four bodies have so far been recovered, the official said.

''The hope of survival of the remaining trapped miners appears to be waning as they remain trapped for the ninth day. However, the rescue operations will continue," he said.

Dewatering is being carried out with the help of nine pumps while six more have been installed for use if required, he said.

The rescue operations were being conducted jointly by the army, Assam Rifles, NDRF, SDRF and district administration.

An underwater remote-operating vehicle was also being sent inside the quarry at regular intervals to capture images of the trapped miners, the official said.

The first body was recovered on January 8 and three others on Saturday.

The chief minister had earlier claimed that the mine was abandoned 12 years ago and was under the Assam Mineral Development Corporation till three years ago.

He said that the leader of the workers has been arrested, and the police are conducting investigations into the case.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a SIT probe into the mining tragedy in Assam.

He also alleged that "illegal mining continues unchecked" due to "weak law enforcement and local complicity" in the northeastern state.

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