Guwahati, 8 Jan

The body of one of the nine workers trapped inside a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district was recovered by army divers on Wednesday on the third day of the rescue operations, officials said.

The chances of the survival of the eight others appear grim, though a team of navy, army, NDRF and SDRF personnel intensified their efforts to rescue the trapped miners, they said.

The labourers were on Monday trapped inside the Assam Coal Quarry situated in the 3 Kilo area of Umrangso, after a sudden gush of water flooded the site.

The rescue teams are taking turns to enter the mine, as the operations are underway round-the-clock, the officials said.

The divers located the body of the worker inside the mine early in the morning and its identity was yet to be ascertained, they said.

A diver claimed that the body was spotted about 85 feet below the surface, and that the visibility was poor inside with water all around.

“21 Para divers have just recovered a lifeless body from the bottom of the well. Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving family,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.

“Meanwhile, SDRF dewatering pumps have departed from Umrangshu for the location. Additionally, the ONGC dewatering pump has been loaded onto an MI-17 helicopter at Kumbhigram, awaiting weather clearance for deployment,” he said in another post.

Sarma said the rescue operations were continuing in full swing, with divers of the army and NDRF having already entered the well.

The navy personnel are at the site, making final preparations to dive in after them, he said.

The CM had on Tuesday said the mine "appears to be illegal", and that the police have arrested one person in connection with the incident.

Sarma also said he had spoken to Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy, who assured him that a team from Coal India will join the rescue operations from Wednesday.

Eyewitness accounts and initial assessments suggest the flooding occurred all of a sudden, probably due to the opening up of an underground water channel.

According to employees of the quarry, there were around 15 workers inside the mine, though the authorities did not confirm the number.