At least four persons died and many are feared trapped as three abandoned coal mines collapsed during illegal mining in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district, officials said on Tuesday.

Prem Kumar Tiwari, the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Dhanbad, said the rescue team, employed by the coal companies, recovered three bodies of women and one of a girl from Gopinathpur Open Cast Project (OCP) of Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) in Nirsa police station area. Tiwari, who is monitoring the rescue operation, said "search for the others who might have been trapped" is underway. Two other quarries that caved in ¿ Kapasara, also of ECL, and Chach Victoriya of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) ¿ are also feared to have buried miners.