One body recovered from flooded Indian mine as rescuers search for trapped men

8/1/2025 15:32

The body of a miner was recovered from a flooded coal mine in a remote district of India's northeastern state of Assam on Wednesday, two days into the search for nine men trapped below ground.



According to officials and a state minister, the mine, which is 91.44 m deep and has multiple underground tunnels, is thought to have flooded on Monday morning after miners hit a water source.



THimanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam state, said on X, the extent of the flooding hampered rescue work on Tuesday, but expert divers entered the mine again early on Wednesday and were able to retrieve a body.



Officials have said the mine is illegal.



"We didn't see the body, it was completely dark inside, we felt a body using our hands, and that’s how we were able to rescue them," one of the divers told a local news channel after the body had been recovered.



The Army has deployed divers, helicopters and engineers to help the rescue efforts in Assam's hilly Dima Hasao district.