Three more bodies were recovered from a coal mine in Assam on Saturday, raising the death toll to four, as rescuers continued to search for workers missing in the 300-foot mine since Monday, officials familiar with the matter said.

Officials said at least five more workers were trapped in the mine, but it was unclear if this was the final figure, as there were no records of illegal operations. It was also unclear if any of the workers were alive as the multi-agency rescue effort involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, Navy and local police personnel entered its sixth day.

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“Three bodies of trapped workers were found on Saturday. A drone camera used to check the mine detected the bodies, after which divers from NDRF, Army and Navy went down and recovered them. What,” said GD Tripathi, CEO, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

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The three deceased have been identified as Assam natives Lejan Magar (27) of Dima Hasao district, Khushi Mohan Rai (57) of Kokrajhar district and Sarat Gowari (37) of Sonitpur district. On Wednesday, authorities recovered the body of 38-year-old Ganga Bahadur Shrestha, a resident of Nepal.

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“I spoke to him on the phone at around 1.30 on Monday, before he landed in the mine. I told him that our son was ill. He assured me that he would finish work soon and return home. Will come,” Magar’s wife Juno Pradhan said earlier.

Tripathi said the three bodies had bloated because they had been underwater for about a week, and as a result, floated closer to the surface, making them easier to retrieve.

The other five laborers were identified as Hussain Ali (30), Zakir Hussain (38), Mustafa Shaikh, 44, all from Durang district, Sarpa Burman (46) from Kokrajhar district and Sanjit Sarkar, 35, from Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. has happened inside the ear.

Around 40 people entered the mine at around 9am on Monday, local residents said. The workers likely hit a water source that flooded the mine, officials familiar with the matter said, adding that while most workers managed to escape, between nine and 15 were trapped. .

The ongoing rescue operation was suspended on Thursday after officials appeared unable to lower the estimated 100 feet of water in the mine, suggesting that an underground aquifer was continuing to flood the main pit and tunnels that branch off. come out Rescue workers moved forward on Friday after managing to drain water from the flooded mine.

“We are continuously pumping out water from the mine, and the water level has gone down to 18.1 meters (about 59 feet) by Saturday evening. An official of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said on condition of anonymity. said there was still about 11.9 meters (about 39 feet) of water left.

A high-speed pump supplied by Coal India Ltd, capable of pumping out about 2,250 liters of water per minute, was to be pressed into action from Saturday night and the mine could be drained by Sunday afternoon, according to officials. can help

Officials say the mine was first evacuated to rescue workers, who may be trapped behind debris in a network of underground tunnels known colloquially as illegal rat-hole mines. Yes, because divers were having a hard time finding them. Murky water with zero visibility.

“In the coal mine where the accident occurred, we simultaneously started pumping additional water from six nearby mines to ensure that water from those mines did not flow into the collective where the workers were trapped. As a result of the efforts, the water level has come down significantly,” said Tripathi.

The mine is in a remote district of Assam where many such crude operations take place, where operations are unorganized and workers often work without safety equipment. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday that the mine was previously operated by the state’s Department of Mines and Minerals but was abandoned 12 years ago, outlawing Monday’s mine operation. . The police have so far arrested mine operator Panish Nonsa and labor supervisor Hanan Lashkar in this case.

On Saturday, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that illegal mining operations were going on unabated in the state, adding that he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an SIT inquiry in Dimahasau. What is the demand?

“Illegal mining continues in Assam, due to weak law enforcement agencies and local intervention. I have written to the Prime Minister demanding an immediate SIT probe to investigate the tragedy. Those responsible must be held accountable,” Gogoi posted on X.

The presence of multiple rat-hole mines connected to the main mine has hampered rescue efforts at Dima Hasao. Rat-hole mines, so named because their tunnels are large enough for workers to pass through, were once widely used in the northeastern states. They consist of narrow pits in the ground, usually meant for a person to go under. Coal was usually stored in boxes that were hoisted to the surface with pulleys. In some cases, miners carried the coal in baskets on wooden slats along the mine walls. They were banned in 2014 due to the high number of deaths and damage to the environment, but their use continues in violation of laws.

“The broader issues of safety, corruption, and environmental damage also need to be addressed. The families of the victims deserve justice, and we must ensure that such incidents are prevented in the future,” Lok Sabha said. I Congress Deputy Leader added.