By Tora Agarwala GUWAHATI (Reuters) -Three miners were feared dead inside a flooded coal mine in a remote district of India's northeastern Assam state, authorities said on Tuesday, and the men were part of a total of nine still trapped as rescue teams worked to reach them.

At least nine workers are trapped inside a flooded coal mine in India’s northeastern Assam state, officials said Tuesday, as authorities summoned the army to help in the rescue operation. The miners became trapped on Monday morning in the Umrangso area in Dimapur Hasao district,

Three workers have been confirmed dead in the Assam coal mine disaster, while rescue operations continue to free the others trapped, with teams from the Army, NDRF, SDRF, and Navy divers actively involved.

‘Rat-hole’ mining It is a method of extracting coal from horizontal seams in Meghalaya and other northeastern States. Narrow pits are dug into the ground, large enough for one person to fit in and extract the coal, just like rats dig a hole.

Nine laborers are trapped in a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district. Army personnel, NDRF, and SDRF are coordinating rescue efforts. Water pumps are being used to clear flooding. The exact number of trapped miners remains unconfirmed.

Nine men are reported to be trapped in the mine, with a rescue report saying three bodies had been spotted. Locals said at least 27 workers had entered the mine on Monday morning in the Dima Hasao region of India's northeastern state of Assam, with many managing to escape as gushing waters swamped the pit workings.

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In response to a tragic incident at a coal mine in the remote “3 Kilo” area of the Dima Hasao region, close to the Assam-Meghalaya border, the Indian Army and NDRF have launched a swift Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission to aid in rescue operations.

The Indian Army has launched a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission to rescue miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in the "3 Kilo" area of Dima Hasao, near the Assam-Meghalaya border.

The workers went down the mine at around 9am on Monday; and officials are yet to ascertain the cause of the flooding despite the absence of any rain in the region.