Guwahati: Dewatering of the coal mine at Umrangso in Assam's Dima Hasao district continued on Wednesday, with authorities failing to trace the remaining five workers on the tenth day of the tragedy, officials said.
Water is being pumped out of the mine using high-powered sets, brought in by ONGC and Coal India, leading to a considerable decrease in water level. "Dewatering is being carried out continuously. The miners can be traced and rescued once it is completed or the water level recedes," an official said.
Nine coal miners were trapped inside the 300-ft well-shaped mine on January 6, when the quarry was flooded. One body was recovered on January 8, while three were found on January 11. Thereafter, none of the five miners could be traced by the rescue teams, despite their continuous effort.
NDRF team commander Raushan Kr Singh, engaged in the rescue operation, said according to the inputs received from authorities engaged in dewatering, the water level inside the mine had come down . The official added that the recovered bodies had been found floating on the water, inside the mine.
"The water is very contaminated. It is too dark inside and is a very challenging task. However, we have all the advanced equipment, including underwater torches and oxygen cylinders. The rescue operation can be carried out once dewatering is complete or the water level recedes," he added.
Rescue operation at the site, which is 30 km west of Umrangso and over 140 km from Haflong, is being jointly carried out by NDRF, the Army and the Navy. However, Navy divers were withdrawn from the operation on Monday.
Meanwhile, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said efforts were underway to dewater the mine quickly.
"Everyday, the water level recedes by only about one foot, despite using several pump sets. Moreover, the water is getting cleaner, indicating that there is an underground live stream which is connected to the mine," he added.