By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 8: Thirteen days after a tragic incident at an illegal rat-hole mine in Tinsukia district of Assam, the bodies of two coal miners from Ri-Bhoi, have been recovered. Ri-Bhoi police has confirmed the recovery of the bodies, and the families of the victims are en route to the site to take possession of them.
The incident occurred on May 26 when a landslide trapped three miners inside an illegal rat-hole mine in the Patkai Hills of Tinsukia district. The deceased miners have been identified as John Nongrum from Jatah village and Phingel Umbah from Korhadem village, both located in R-Bhoi. The third victim was Dawa Sherpa from Bhojpur, Nepal.
The National Disaster Response Force was deployed to the site to conduct rescue operations. The incident took place at the illegal Tikok West mining site, situated between Bargolai and Namdang, under the Tikok colliery in Ledo. Four miners were working at the site when the landslide struck. Three were inside the mine, while the fourth was assisting with coal transportation. The landslide trapped the three workers inside the mine, leading to their deaths.