Rescue operations at a flooded coal mine in Assam, India, successfully retrieved the bodies of five missing miners. The tragic incident occurred on January 6 when nine miners became trapped in a narrow, illegally constructed shaft known as a “rat hole” due to flooding. Initially, four bodies were recovered soon after the operation commenced, but it took until Wednesday to recover the last five.
Assam’s chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, announced on social media that the mortal remains had been brought up from the mine shaft, and a process for identifying the deceased has begun. Despite the dangers and illegality associated with rat hole mining, the practice continues in some regions of India, highlighting ongoing safety and regulatory challenges within the mining sector.