NEW DELHI — Indian rescue workers are struggling to save 15 workers who have been trapped for two weeks in an illegal coal mine, their chances of survival growing increasingly slim, and the government has come under fire for failing to provide sophisticated equipment for the operation.

The miners, in the northeastern state of Meghalaya, became trapped on Dec. 13 when the mine was flooded by a nearby river, local officials said. Illegal mines — called “rat holes” by local activists and news media because of their narrow tunnels — are prevalent throughout the state and are often connected to local politicians, evading laws and regulations.

The government has been criticized for not providing the rescue operation with powerful pumps to extract water from the mine, which officials say is 300 feet deep and filled with at least 70 feet of water. Rescue divers on the scene are trained to dive at a maximum of only 40 feet, according to Santosh Kumar Singh of the National Disaster Response Force, who is heading a team of officers at the site.