After a long break due to the monsoon, the miners resumed work for the season at the unfortunate location Coal mine On January 6, tragedy struck in Assam’s Dima Hasao district, but a few hours later, at least nine of them were trapped in a flooded mine. After weeks of waiting for work to be done while the monsoon water was drained, mine workers were eager to go down the well-shaped mine to extract coal.

An average rat hole mine is about 200 to 250 feet long, only 2-3 feet high and 8-10 feet wide, and requires workers to crawl on their knees to dig coal with hand tools. has to But the assurance of earning ₹1,000- ₹2,000 per day depending on the amount of coal extracted, which is carried deep into the mines of these illegal rat holes despite the danger to lives.

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“Since it was the first day of work, after about 2 hours of work my legs and hands started to hurt, and I was planning to come out early. That’s when we heard about the water entering the mine. Another rat hole heard the screams of labourers,” said Burman, a resident of Kokrajhar in the northeastern state.

By the time he managed to get out of the rat hole and reach the pit of the main well, the water level had risen to about 2 feet. The walkie-talkie of the supervisor inside the pit fell into the water, preventing the workers from calling outside for help. The 39-year-old miner said that as the water level rose rapidly and one of the two lower trolleys was full of coal and the lock of the other was not working, the workers started clinging to the chains holding the trolleys, 39. The year-old miner said.

“When those at the top realized what was happening, they started pulling the chain and about 15 of us were clinging to it. But suddenly there was a jolt and we all fell back into the water. “Two workers managed to cling to the chain and were pulled out. After 10-15 minutes, a broken trolley was lowered and about 20-25 of us came in 3-4 batches,” Burman said. said

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By this time, about 30 minutes had passed when water began to pour into the first crater, trapping others. Burman, who drank about 3 liters of water, remained unconscious for about half an hour and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

Having worked in similar rat mines in Meghalaya, Burman is aware of the dangers involved whenever he enters a coal pit. But the temptation to make around ₹2,000 a day, which is almost four times what he earns as a daily wage labourer, continues to drag him and others like him into the darkness.

“There is risk in every job. I could die driving a truck or crossing the road. But I have got a second life after this accident and I will never do mining again in my life,” he said.

While the 39-year-old survived, his roommate Sanjeet Sarkar (24) from West Bengal was not so lucky. Sarkar is one of at least eight workers still trapped in the well-built mine for the past four days. On Wednesday, Sarkar’s father, who was unaware that his son was working in a coal mine in Assam, reached the spot.

“We had no information about our son. No one was answering his phone since Monday. The next morning, a caller informed Sanjeet’s wife that he was missing and stuck in the mine. “That’s when I came to know that he was in Assam,” said his father Krishnapada Sarkar. I think there is no chance of seeing him alive. We just hope his body is found.

Juno Pradhan (21) hopes her husband Lejan Magar will return home to her and their two-month-old son Aaru.

“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 come back home. “My husband can’t swim. I hope the rescue ends soon and he is found,” said Pradhan, fighting back tears.

Jalaluddin (28), a resident of Dalgaon in Assam’s Durang district, came late for work on Monday. While his three roommates who reached the mine in time are among those trapped in the sunken well.

“I decided to go late for work. But around 6.30 in the morning I got a lot of commotion from the people who were on top of the mine. That’s when I realized what had happened. I was a rat in Meghalaya for nine years. “I’ve worked in the open pits but never had such a disaster. I hope my roommates are found alive, if not, at least their bodies are recovered,” he said. said