3 Workers die and 5 Arrested In Illegal “Rat Hole” Mine In Assam

Three coal miners died after allegedly inhaling poisonous gases inside an illegal rat-hole mine at Ledo in Assam’s Tinsukia district on Sunday night, police said. Tinsukia SP Debojit Deuri said five persons had been arrested so far on charges of trying to bury the bodies and hush up the incident.

The police official also said that stringent action will be taken against all illegal mining activities in the state.

The dead were identified as Sahidul Islam, Hussain Ali — both from Bongaigaon — and Hasmat Ali from Goalpara. “The rat-hole mine was being run illegally on a remote hill top. The incident took place around 8.30pm on Sunday. We suspect that a leak of poisonous gases like methane inside the mine caused the deaths,” the SP said