Three men remained trapped inside an illegal rat-hole mine in Assam's Tinsukia district for a second day on Monday, with rescue operations ongoing.
Officials fear the trio may have perished, but confirmation awaits the retrieval of their bodies.
The incident occurred around 12:30 am on Sunday at the Tikok West mining site, situated between Bargolai and Namdang areas in Ledo.
The trapped individuals have been identified as Dawa Cherpa from Nepal, and John and Fenaal from Meghalaya.
According to officials, a sudden landslide trapped the men inside the narrow tunnels.
A fourth person, assisting with coal transportation, narrowly escaped the disaster.
"Rescue efforts are in full swing with excavators and other equipment deployed at the site," a district administration official informed. "While it is suspected that the trapped individuals may have died, this can only be confirmed once their bodies are retrieved."
Rat-hole mining involves the excavation of narrow tunnels, typically 3-4 feet high, through which workers crawl to extract coal.
These precarious tunnels, often just wide enough for one person, pose significant safety risks.
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