HARARE - Eleven subsistence mine workers are trapped in an underground shaft after a ground collapse at Zimbabwe's Redwing Mine, 270 km (167.77 miles) west of the capital Harare, authorities said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday morning, with initial assessments pointing to earth tremors as the possible cause of the accident, Zimbabwe's mines ministry said in a statement.

Metallon Corporation, which owns Redwing Mine, confirmed the incident in a separate statement. The company has deployed a rescue team to bring the trapped miners back to the surface, it added.

"The team has made several rescue attempts. However, the ground remains unstable, rendering rescue operations unsafe. Our teams are diligently assessing ground conditions to make sure the rescue operations proceed safely as soon as possible," Metallon said.

Mining operations at Redwing have been undertaken by subsistence miners carrying out unsanctioned work since the mine was placed under corporate rescue in 2020, the company said.

(Reporting by Nyasha Chingono, writing by Nelson Banya; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)