At least eight people have died and 20 were injured in a mine accident in Serbia, the country’s state TV has said.

RTS reported that a shaft collapsed inside the Soko coal mine, with 49 miners on the rota at the time of the accident.

Eighteen people have been admitted to hospital, mostly with light injuries, the head of the medical centre in the nearby town of Aleksinac, Rodoljub Zivadinovic, said.

The accident reportedly happened at about 5am local time on Friday.

The broadcaster added that rescuers were trying to determine how many miners were trapped in the shaft, quoting health authorities in Aleksinac, which is located 200 km from the capital, Belgrade.

Goran Vidic, head of the local hospital, said: “The situation here is difficult, relatives are here, people are upset”.

He was quoted as saying all non-essential surgery had been cancelled and some patients had been discharged to make room for casualties.

The Aleksinac coal mine in Serbia is prone to methane saturation and in November 1989 some 90 miners died in an explosion there.

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