Indian Navy divers return empty handed in mining rescue efforts

Reuters-Indian Navy divers attempted on Sunday (December 30) to rescue 15 coal miners trapped in a flooded coal mine, but returned empty-handed due to unexpectedly high water levels inside the chamber. Crews are expected to make another attempt to reach the miners on Monday (December 31). Ten high-pressure pumps are being used to flush out water from the pit - pump operators estimate that it would take five days to drain the mine completely. The miners became trapped on December 13 when the illegal "rat-hole" mine they were working in filled with a surge of floodwater. Dangerous, illegal mines are common in Northeast India's Meghalaya state, and workers, including children, often descend hundreds of feet on bamboo ladders to pull coal from horizontal seams underground.