The mine is located in the hilly area of Dima Hasao district.
Senior police official in the district, Mayank Kumar Jha, told Reuters that the area was very “remote” and “difficult to reach”.
Mine-related disasters are not uncommon in India’s northeast.
In December 2018, at least 15 men were trapped in an illegal mine in the neighbouring state of Meghalaya after water from a nearby river flooded it.
Five miners managed to escape but the rescue efforts for the others continued until the first week of March the following year. Only two bodies were recovered.
In January 2024, six workers were killed after a fire broke out in a rat-hole coal mine in Nagaland state.
Follow BBC News India on Instagram, external, YouTube, external, Twitter, external and Facebook, external
