A collapse at a mine in southwest Zambia on Monday killed at least 10 people and injured five others, police said.

The accident occurred in the Mumbwa district on Monday morning.

"During the course of their mining activities, the earth collapsed on them" central police commissioner Charity Munganga Chanda said in a statement.

Rescuers initially recovered six people from the rubble, but one miner later succumbed to his injuries in hospital, the police said.

Police said that the investigation into the cause of the accident was still underway, and that they were working to confirm "the exact number of people who were in the mine at the time of the accident."

➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.