The four deceased labourers are among the nine workers trapped inside the coal mine in Umrangsu on Monday after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry.

Dima Hasao District Magistrate Simanta Kumar Das said that the process of ‘dewatering’ or draining three abandoned mines within 500 metres of the ill-fated mine helped lower the water level within it. It is possible that these mines – each with a network of narrow tunnels branching out from the wall of a vertical pit – could be interconnected.

Those whose bodies were recovered on Saturday have been identified as 27-year-old Lijen Magar, a resident of Umrangso, 57-year-old Khushi Mohan Rai from Fakiragram and 37-year-old Sarat Goyari hailing from Thailapara, according to The Hindu.