NEW DELHI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and several others feared trapped after a portion of a coal mine collapsed Saturday in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, the police said.

The portion of the mine collapsed at government-run Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) in Karma area of Ramgarh district, about 55 km north of Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.

"Four bodies were recovered from the accident site. However, the villagers took away three bodies before the police team arrived at the spot," a local police officer said.

Following the incident, authorities rushed rescuers to the spot to carry out a rescue operation, which was going on until the last reports poured in.

Reports said more than a dozen villagers were illegally mining the coal in the area when a wall collapsed.

Meanwhile, authorities have launched a probe into the incident. ■