‘Toxic gas’ kills two ‘illegal miners’ in Assam’s abandoned coalfield
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Hours after suspected methane killed at least 15 workers in an NHPC hydroelectric project tunnel in Sikkim, a father-son duo died after inhaling toxic fumes at an alleged illegal coal mine in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district.
The district human rights body said Sagar Ali and his son Ishan Ali died after inhaling gas released by alleged illegal coal mining in the Ledo area. The incident happened on the night of July 20.
However, the district police said the cause of death is yet to be ascertained. “The matter is under investigation,” a senior officer said on Wednesday (July 22, 2026).
Also read | An environmental activist from Assam called coal mining a rat hole along the Arunachal border
The dead were from Gaibandha village in the Jaleswar area of Assam’s southwestern Goalpara district, the Tinsukia District Committee of the International Human Rights Council (IHRC) said.
Abandoned coalfield
“According to our investigation, the alleged illegal mining of rat holes is located in an area known as Deep Mine, which is located on land abandoned by the North Eastern coalfields,” said L. Ratan Singh, General Secretary of the District Committee of the IHRC.
North Eastern Coalfields is a specialized operating unit managed by Coal India Limited.
Mr Singh also said his organization had identified the owners, supervisors and operators of the mine, as well as the mastermind behind the illegal coal entry scheme codenamed “Big B”.
He called on the district authorities to crack down on illegal coal mining and conduct a comprehensive, impartial investigation into the death of a father and son who were allegedly miners in the Hlubinné Dol area.
The IHRC unit also approached the Gauhati High Court to take cognizance of the incident and initiate appropriate proceedings. “No person should lose their life in future due to such illegal mining,” Mr. Singh said.
From September 2022 to June 2024, at least 10 miners were killed in allegedly illegal coal mines. They were either trapped in “rathole” mines that collapsed or were exposed to toxic gases.
“Rat hole” mining is an unscientific and dangerous coal mining method used in the hilly regions of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. It involves the digging of narrow, deep vertical shafts and horizontal tunnels, often large enough for one person to crawl into, where miners scrape or extract coal using primitive tools.
Published – 22 Jul 2026 22:45 IST