Tragic End to Assam's Mine Disaster: Bodies of All 9 Trapped Miners Recovered

The bodies of all nine trapped miners in Assam's Dima Hasao district's flooded rat-hole coal mine have been recovered 44 days after the accident. The rescue operations involved multiple agencies and concluded with the retrieval of the final bodies. Families of the deceased face an uncertain future.

The recovery of the remaining five bodies of miners trapped in Assam's flooded coal mine marks the somber end to a 44-day-long ordeal in the Dima Hasao district. Nine miners were initially trapped after water influx on January 6.

Rescue operations, involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian army, Indian Navy, and other agencies, previously retrieved four bodies, as confirmed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on social media. The state's ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh was allocated to the families of the deceased miners.

The first body, recovered on January 8, belonged to Ganga Bahadur Shreth from Nepal. The subsequent recoveries included three more miners from Assam. One widow, Junu Pradhan, reflects on her uncertain future, underscoring the accident's human tragedy.

(With inputs from agencies.)