TWO Gokwe artisanal miners have suffocated to death while working underground, police in the Midlands Province have said.

Irke Linda, 27 and Benjamin Shona, 26, are believed to have inhaled excessive carbon at an underground mine shaft they were working in at Matanda Village in Gokwe.

Midlands provincial police spokesperson, Emmanuel Mahoko said Linda encountered high levels of carbon underground, and called for help, prompting Shona to follow on a rescue mission.

However, both were then overwhelmed by the carbon and died. Mahoko said the bodies of the two miners were later retrieved. – New Ziana