Rescue operations at a flooded coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district continued for the seventh day on Sunday, 12 January, to locate trapped labourers inside the quarry, officials said.

Dewatering of the mine is being carried out with the process expected to reach the final stage soon, state mines and minerals minister Kaushik Rai said.

Altogether nine workers were trapped inside the coal mine in Umrangsu area, around 250 km from Guwahati, after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry on 6 January. Of them, the bodies of four labourers have been recovered so far.

The first body was recovered on Wednesday while three others were fished out on Saturday.

NDRF team commander Roshan Kumar Singh said the water level inside the flooded mine is receding with the dewatering process going on.

“Today is the seventh day of rescue operations and four bodies have been recovered so far. The dewatering exercise is on and the water level is receding,” he said.

Rescue operations are being carried out by multiple agencies, including NDRF, SDRF, army and navy personnel, with drones deployed for mapping of the area.

Rai oversaw the operations at the site on Saturday and said the final stage of dewatering is expected to reach within the next 36 hours.

“Dewatering is going on. There was a lot of water to be pumped out as the shaft was interlinked with different wells. Within the next 36 hours, we expect to reach the final stage,” he had said.

Twelve pumps have been engaged in the dewatering process, including in clearing water from the arterial shafts.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that the mine was abandoned 12 years ago and was under the Assam Mineral Development Corporation till three years ago.

“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 had said.

The leader of the workers has been arrested and the police are conducting investigations into the case.