The miners have been underground for five days, after heavy rain caused nearby rivers to overflow, trapping 172 workers in one mine and another nine in a neighbouring pit.
A crowd of 200 people, mostly the families of the trapped workers, pushed over an iron fence at the mine on August 19 after hearing rumours that rescue efforts had been called off, local news agencies reported.
The local government has pledged to inform the relatives of any updates through regular briefings on the rescue effort, the Associated Press reported.
