At least two villagers excavating the coal illegally were killed and three others feared trapped after the roof of an abandoned mine collapsed near Karma village under Karma Project of Central Coalfields Limited in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district early on Sunday morning.

Ramgarh Deputy Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar confirmed the incident and said two bodies have been recovered from the debris so far. According to officials, the death toll may go up as there may still be some bodies trapped inside the mine. Police sources said, at least 15 villagers were inside the mine and were digging the coal when the incident took place around 7 am. While lucky ones managed to escape, some others were trapped, sources said. Sunday’s cave in is the latest in the series of similar tragedies that have become a recurring features in abandoned mines dotting the coal belt areas of Jharkhand.