Seven miners trapped at Peruvian site in the Andes

Peruvian police and civil defense officials worked on Saturday to rescue seven miners trapped under a landslide at a small independent mine near the Andes mountains, a regional government official said.

The rubble trapped miners on Friday at the Chuncanaqui site in the Ancash region, north of Lima.

"Tons of material have slid downward, which makes rescue efforts more difficult," Freddy Yacome, Ancash's regional director for energy and mines, told local radio RPP.

"We still haven't been able to find the entrance to the mine," Yacome said, adding officials would have to clear a path about 66 feet (20 metres) long to reach the entrance.

One of the trapped miners was able to alert officials to the accident by calling his family on a telephone.

It was not immediately clear what minerals drew miners to the small, informal site.