Local media are reporting that one person died and three were injured after a wall collapsed at the community-operated Gaika Mine in Kwekwe, central Zimbabwe.
The miners were digging for gold and allegedly were using explosives, which weakened the shaft where they were working.
Three of them ended up trapped for a few hours but were rescued by colleagues working nearby while the fatal victim, identified as Stenford Machangai, was crushed by a giant rock that had to be removed with a hydraulic jack together with his body.
According to Africa.com, the Zimbabwe National Army has been dealing for months with people working illegally at the mine site.
The operation is said to have been reopened by the ruling party, Zanu-PF, after 20 years of closure under a community ownership scheme. However, The Sunday News reports that such activities are rejected by its original owner, Duration Gold, a subsidiary of UK-based Clarity Enterprises.