Fourteen miners are trapped after a gold mine shaft collapsed in northwestern Tanzania.

The workers, who include one Chinese and 13 Tanzanians, were buried in rubble 38m (124ft 6in) underground at 03:00am local time at a site owned by a Chinese company.

According to the country's privately owned ITV TV, rescue operations are underway at the pit near the town of Geita.

Geita Regional Commissioner Ezekiel Kyunga, who was at the scene, told the state-owned Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation TV that he believed they would be rescued alive.

"From what I have witnessed here, I have a lot of hope that our compatriots who are buried down there are still alive. It is good that they are being supplied with oxygen through pipes."

In March last year, five miners died at another site in the region after being trapped while prospecting for gold.