Manila - Rescue operations for miners trapped in a flooded mineshaft in a northern Philippine mining town entered their fourth day on Friday with still no success in finding survivors, and three dead bodies recovered, officials said.

Neoman dela Cruz, an official of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, said the three bodies of the 16 trapped miners were recovered Thursday in the mineshaft in Itogon town in Benguet province, 225 kilometres north of Manila.

The three bodies were found floating in floodwaters inside the shaft.

"We are having a hard time moving inside the mineshaft because of strong currents of floodwaters," he said. "We are still hoping to find some survivors."

Relatives and friends of the trapped miners were waiting outside the tunnel, keeping their hopes alive that some survivors could still be found despite the snail-paced operations.

Dela Cruz said divers from the Philippine navy arrived in the area Thursday night to provide assistance in the rescue operations.

Dela Cruz said he was hoping some of the miners could have found a ledge to stand on to keep themselves above the floodwaters. He, however, expressed fears the miners might have run out of food and potable water.

The miners entered the mineshaft Monday despite the heavy rains brought about by typhoon Hagupit that left a trail of devastation in several northern provinces.

The goldmine was abandoned by a mining company more than a decade ago, but the miners dug a passageway to access the shaft and were mining without a permit. (dpa)