How Puris Saved the Life of This Miner in the Assam Mine Tragedy in Umrangso

Sansul said that they earn anywhere between Rs 1700 to Rs 3000 which turns out to be upto a lakh per month if business is good

It was Monday morning, January 6. The day started like any other day. Everyday Samsul and several other workers hailing from different places of Assam like Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Darrang, Sonitpur and from neighbouring Nepal have their breakfast, usually puris, before leaving to work in the mine at Kalamati Umrongso, Assam. That day too, Samsul, his brother Rasul, a friend and his uncle were getting ready to leave.

Just that on that day, Samsul’s uncle asked him to make the puris. On other days it is Samsul’s uncle who makes the puris.

“Everyday, they make the puris in the morning. Every morning we eat puris before leaving for work. But on Monday, my uncle told me to make the puris. I made the puris and after having the puris, my brother, one of my friends and my mama (maternal uncle), they all left. They got into the boxes and went inside the mine. I was also getting ready to leave and then suddenly I heard a lot of noise outside near the mine. I heard people shouting and screaming but I could not make out what was happening. Then I saw few of the workers coming out of the mine in the boxes. I saw two workers come out of the mine somehow holding on to the crane’s chain. They were all shouting full ho gaya, full ho gaya (meaning the mine has been filled with water). But my brother, friend and mama are still stuck inside and I am waiting for them,” Samsul told Northeast Live.

Sansul said that they earn anywhere between Rs 1700 to Rs 3000 which turns out to be upto a lakh per month if business is good. It is for the money and for their families that people like Samsul put their lives at risk to work in these mines which are nothing less than death traps.

Its three days now and over 48 hours, eight miners are still trapped inside the ill-fated mine. NDRF and Assam Rifles divers today morning pulled out the body of one miner from 85 feet inside the mine that is full of water.

At least 32 miners had gone inside the mine on January 6 morning at around 6 am to start extracting coal. But within two hours, by around 8 am water from a nearby unused mine gushed in totally flooding the mine and trapping the miners.

Few of the miners managed to get onto the boxes and come out of the mine but nine of the miners could not come out.
Samsul, a resident of Udalguri in Assam was among the lucky ones that day.

Also Read: Singapore First Country to Partner With Assam for Advantage Assam 2.0 Global Investors’ Summit to be Held on Feb 24-25 in Guwahati

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