Assam: Navy divers go down toa shaft as rescue continues at Dima Hasao coal mine

Dima Hasao (Assam) [India], January 8 (ANI): The Indian Navy is making all possible efforts to rescue 9 people who were trapped in a coal mine at 3 Kilo, Umrangso area, since Monday and now going down to the shaft as efforts to dewater the well are also underway, informed Special DGP, Assam, Harmeet Singh.
"One body was found at the bottom of the shaft. Yesterday, the water was very murky and the water was quite acidic. So nothing was visible. So today, four divers, NDRF and Army divers, had gone down. They were able to retrieve one body from the bottom of the shaft. Now we have arterial tunnels going on every side," said Harmeet Singh.
"The ROV (remotely operated vehicle) has done one round, the Navy ROV has done one round of the entire shaft. The ROV has both photography and sonar capabilities. That has not found anything. Now Navy divers are going down to the shaft. We will first clear out the shaft and then start entering the tunnels. In the meanwhile, efforts are on to continuously dewater the well...," added Harmeet Singh.
Indian Navy team while carrying specialized equipment such as deep diving gears and underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for search and rescue operations in Assam's Umrangso. The team includes highly trained Clearance Divers, experts in deep-water recovery, and the underwater ROVs for search and rescue.
Meanwhile, one dead body had been recovered from the collapsed coal mine at 3 Kilo. According to a statement from an NDRF official, one body has been recovered by the divers of NDRF, the Indian army.
Earlier, HPS Kandari, Commandant of the 1st Battalion of the NDRF spoke about the difficulties faced by the joint rescue team, Kandari said, "Many attempts were made yesterday but we didn't succeed... A joint team dived today (in the mine) and we have recovered one body."
The mine collapse, which trapped several workers, has posed numerous challenges for rescue teams due to the hazardous conditions underground. Diving experts are now being called upon for specialized support. Kandari highlighted the dangers and uncertainties of the operation, stating, "Diving in other places is another thing but in these situations, we need experts as we cannot guesstimate what conditions would be there inside. There can be several types of mining equipment which can hinder the rescue process." (ANI)