Three people remained trapped inside an illegal rat-hole mine in Assam's Tinsukia district for the second consecutive day on Monday as efforts continued to rescue them, officials said.

Officials feared that the trio might have died but their deaths could be confirmed if their bodies were retrieved.

The incident took place in Ledo's Tikok West mining site between Bargolai and Namdang areas around 12.30 am on Sunday.

"Three people, identified as Dawa Cherpa from Nepal and John and Fenaal from Meghalaya, went inside the rat-hole mine while the fourth person was assisting them in coal transportation.

"Suddenly, a landslide occurred, trapping the three people inside the mine. It is suspected that they have died but we cannot confirm it until we find the bodies," an official in the district administration told PTI.

Excavators and other equipment have been deployed for the rescue operation which is underway, he said.

Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat-holes" as each just about fits one person.

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