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In an interview with India Today, renowned actor Swastika Mukherjee, who has been actively taking part in the protests, said, “I don’t think anyone who has heard the victim’s parents speak, or seen them, could celebrate puja with the usual excitement and vigour. Every year, we look forward to what we’ll wear, where we’ll go pandal-hopping, what we’ll eat, and which friends are visiting. But this year, all that excitement feels lost. I’m sure people will still visit the pandals, but the spirit of celebration won’t be the same.”
operations underway at the coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao Photo: PTI Rescue operations underway at the coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao Photo: PTIDays after the first one, rescue workers managed to recover the dead bodies of three more workers who were trapped inside a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district. With this, four bodies have been recovered so far from the mine since the disaster took place.
Nine coal mine workers were trapped inside the mine in Assam's Umrangsu on Monday after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry.
"The rescue operations resumed this morning and one more body was recovered as the search for trapped miners entered its sixth day. The body of one labourer, hailing from Nepal, had already been recovered," the official told PTI.
While one of the deceased has been identified as 27-year-old Ligen Magar, a resident of village number 1 of Kalamati in Dima Hasao, the identification of two other bodies is underway, officials said.
According to PTI, Magar's body was found floating on accumulated water in the mine after the army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) divers went to bring out the worker.
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'Unwavering resolve': CM Himanta hails rescue workersNDRF is conducting a joint rescue operation with Army. Air Force helicopters have also joined the rescue operation. SDRF teams, Assam Rifles divers and medical teams, along with Engineers Task Force are also present.
Praising the rescue workers for their tireless efforts to bring out the stranded workers, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the rescue operations have been continuing with "unwavering resolve."
"Rescue efforts in Umrangsu continue with unwavering resolve. Tragically, another body was recovered this morning," the chief minister posted on microblogging site X.
''Our hearts go out to the grieving, as we hold on to hope and strength in this difficult time," he added.
Further commenting on alleged involvement of a family member of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council's Chief Executive Member (CEM) Debolal Gorlosa in the incident, the chief minister said, ''This is a human tragedy and we should not politicise it."
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About the accidentAccording to the chief minister, the coal mine in Dima Hasao was abandoned 12 years ago and was under the Assam Mineral Development Corporation till three years ago. On Monday, the workers entered the coal mine for the very first before a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry.
''It was not an illegal mine but an abandoned one. The workers had entered the mine that day for the first time to extract coal," Sarma said on Friday night.
The leader of the workers has been arrested and the police are conducting investigations into the case.
Dewatering of the 340 feet deep quarry in underway with specialised machines brought in by ONGC and Coal India. Sarma said that 7 metres of water have been cleared so far.
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'There was water up to 26 metres across four wells. If water is cleared from the wells, we can expect some results'', he said.
Another machine has been brought in from Nagpur and would be operated from Saturday morningrich9, Sarma said, adding that if it functions according to plans, it is expected that the water would be cleared by evening.