Almaty, Kazakhstan: An underground collapse at a copper mine in central Kazakhstan has killed seven workers, authorities in the resource-rich country said Tuesday.

"The body of the seventh miner in the Kazakhmys mine has been found", emergency services announced a day after the incident occurred at a depth of around 640 metres (2,100 feet).

On Monday evening, the country's emergency ministry reported a "rock mass collapse" in a mine belonging to Kazakhmys in the central Ulytau region.

Rescuers were dispatched, including from the neighbouring Karaganda region, the ministry said.

Kazakhmys is Kazakhstan's largest copper producer.

Mining incidents are common in the vast Central Asian country, despite government attempts to improve safety.

In October 2023, a fire at an ArcelorMittal mine in the Karaganda region killed 46 people in the worst mining disaster in Kazakhstan's history. AFP