GUWAHATI: The teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Army recovered the remaining four bodies from the flooded coal mine at Tin Kilo, Umrangso, in Assam’s Dima Hasao district on Wednesday, February 19. With this, all nine miners who were trapped in the illegal rat-hole mine have been accounted for, bringing the one-and-a-half-month-long rescue operation to a close.
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Assam’s Chief Minister stated on X, "Today, the dewatering of the Umrangso mines was completed to a level where retrieval operations could be launched. The mortal remains of the remaining 5 miners have been recovered and brought up from the mine shaft. The process to identify the remains has been initiated."
Today, the dewatering of the Umrangso mines was completed to a level where retrieval operations could be launched. The mortal remains of the remaining 5 miners have been recovered and brought up from the mine shaft. The process to identify the remains has been initiated.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 19, 2025
Earlier in the day, Assam’s Minister of Mines & Minerals, Kaushik Rai, confirmed the latest recovery. “One more body was recovered by the rescue teams today,” he said, adding that the identification process was underway.
The crisis began on January 6 when reports emerged that nine miners had become trapped inside the illegal mine. The disaster drew attention to unsafe mining practices and inadequate safety measures. Recovery efforts were delayed due to heavy rainfall and the challenging terrain.
The Gauhati High Court has directed authorities to submit detailed responses on the issue of illegal mining in Assam. The case was heard on February 7 by Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam, with multiple government bodies and local councils named as respondents.
During the proceedings, Advocate General D. Saikia submitted an initial affidavit on behalf of the state government and the Directorate of Geology and Mining, outlining the steps taken to curb illegal mining. However, the court regarded this as only a preliminary response and instructed the government to file a comprehensive affidavit detailing future measures to prevent further illegal mining activities.
Meanwhile, the Assam government has extended financial assistance to the affected families. On January 18, Kaushik Rai handed over ex-gratia cheques to the families of both the deceased miners and those still trapped. The next of kin of the five recovered miners received ₹10 lakh each, while the families of the four trapped workers were given ₹6 lakh each, with the remaining ₹4 lakh to be provided at a later stage.
The state cabinet had earlier decided that an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh would be provided to the families of all nine miners. The compensation has been allocated from two sources—₹6 lakh from the Assam Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and ₹4 lakh from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.
