Gold mine collapse kills 5 miners in northern Afghanistan

A gold mine collapse has killed five miners in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province, local authorities said Saturday.

The mine is located in the Shah Mastan area of the province's Chah Ab district, said Qari Naqibullah Masroor, spokesman for Takhar police command. He gave no other details.

The spokesman said that 10 miners were rescued earlier this week after being trapped for two days in another gold mine in the Samti area of the same district. The exact circumstances of how they became trapped were not immediately clear.

Mine collapses are frequent in Afghanistan, a country rich in raw materials, including iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, coal and precious stones.