Police in Zimbabwe says seven artisanal miners were killed in a disused gold shaft when it collapsed at the weekend.
Few details were given on the circumstances of the collapse in Bindura, about 85 kilometres north of the capital Harare.
However, police issued a warning against illegal mining activities.
The police disclosed that five of the seven men have been identified, and are from 20 to 34 years of age, while next of kin were still being sought for two of the victims.
The Southern African nation has vast reserves of platinum, diamonds, gold, coal and copper.
Due to the struggling economy, illegal mining is rife and often takes place under dangerous conditions.
Police did not specify how many people were in the mine at the time of the collapse or whether others were missing, but other miners at the site told a local broadcaster that 15 people had been trapped.
Accidents at illegal mines are common in Zimbabwe, at least nine people were killed in September 2023 following a collapse in a mine in Chegutu, about 120 kilometres west of Harare.
The deadly collapse comes after 87 bodies were retrieved at an illegal mining operation in the neighbouring South Africa.
