Mine floods in Zimbabwe kill 23 gold miners

At least 23 gold panners in Zimbabwe are feared to have drowned underground after heavy rains flooded two mines.

The subsistence miners were killed when the mine's tunnels were flooded with water following the collapse of a dam wall in Battlefields, about 200 kilometers from Harare, on Tuesday.

"So far twenty-three people have been confirmed dead and fears are that more miners could have perished," police spokesperson Charity Charamba told dpa.

"Rescue efforts are being hampered by the rise in water levels in the shafts," she added.

The police said the miners had illegally entered the mine, owned by RioZim, under the cover of darkness when the accident occurred.

Police said rescue teams were trying to pump out the water and search for bodies and any survivors at the mines near the town of Kadoma.

"Most of the shafts are more than 20-metres deep and the water levels have been rising. We are currently in the process of pumping out water to rescue and search for more bodies," officials said.

The two mines, called Silver Moon Mine and Cricket Mine, are run by registered companies, according to local media.

But the illegal workers are said to have gone underground late on Tuesday without the owners' knowledge.

Heavy rain then destroyed a dam wall, causing the floods.

A total of 38 artisanal miners went underground across the two mines, state broadcaster ZBC reported.

It's the third deadly mine disaster to hit the continent in a fortnight.

A gold mine collapsed in Liberia at the weekend, killing at least five people. Around 35 people are still believed to be missing at the unregulated site.

While in South Africa last week, a number of people were killed by a gas explosion in an underground mine.