At least nine miners are trapped in a flooded coal mine in India’s northeastern Assam state, officials reported Tuesday, prompting the deployment of the army for rescue efforts.

The incident occurred Monday morning in Umrangso, Dima Hasao district, approximately 200 kilometers south of Guwahati.

According to Kaushik Rai, a state minister overseeing the rescue, the miners are feared trapped 300 feet underground after a nearby abandoned mine flooded. Resources are being mobilized for their rescue.

Army personnel and a national disaster management team are on-site, utilizing ropes and cranes in the rescue operation.

Rescuers have located three helmets, slippers, and other personal items, Rai stated. Divers have reached a depth of 35-40 feet, with the water level estimated at 100 feet.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared the mine likely illegal, confirming the arrest of one individual pending investigation.

Workers reported that over a dozen miners were initially trapped in the mine, which lacked adequate safety measures; some escaped as water inundated the mine from a nearby disused mine.

In India’s east and northeast, coal extraction often takes place in dangerous, small “rat hole” mines—narrow pits typically accommodating one miner— prevalent in hilly regions. Coal is usually transported in boxes hoisted to the surface or carried in baskets.

Accidents in illegal mines are common, with miners’ livelihoods dependent on this illicit activity. A similar incident in Meghalaya in 2019 resulted in the deaths of at least 15 miners.