Hazaribagh, May 23 -- Three workers lost their lives after river water entered an illegal coal mine in the Bariatu Khawa area of Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district.

The incident occurred around 6:30 am on Thursday morning, when officials noticed the workers were missing.

According to authorities, water from the Khawa River breached into an illegal mining pit, trapping the workers inside.

The mine is believed to have been dug unlawfully, without any safety precautions, which ultimately led to the flooding.

Circle Officer (CO) Ram Ratan Barnwal said, "We received information late in the evening that 3 workers were swept away in the Khawa river. When we reached around 6:30 am yesterday morning, we saw that they were missing. We saw a pit he...