Divers from the Navy joined the efforts after initial searches by the Army and NDRF divers. The operation is ongoing as officials continue to search for more workers believed to be trapped approximately 300 feet below the ground in the flooded mine.

The labourers were on Monday trapped inside the coal mine situated in the 3 Kilo area of Umrangso, after a sudden gush of water flooded the site. The divers located the body inside the mine early in the morning and its identity was yet to be ascertained, the officials said.

‘Rat-hole’ mining It is a method of extracting coal from horizontal seams in Meghalaya and other northeastern States. Narrow pits are dug into the ground, large enough for one person to fit in and extract the coal, just like rats dig a hole.

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday that navy divers have been requisitioned to assist local authorities in rescuing the nine labourers trapped inside a coal mine in Dim

In response to an urgent call for assistance by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Indian Army on January 6, mobilized a specialized Relief Task Force to rescue miners trapped in Umrangso,