SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina-Two miners were killed Tuesday when they were buried by coal waste in a mine in central Bosnia, police said, confirming local media reports.

It was immediately unclear how the waste coals came loose and poured over the men in the Stara Jama mining pit, near the town of Zenica. Authorities were investigating.

Mine manager Merhun Arnaut identified the two workers as Samir Cajlakovic, 37, and Muris Pipo, 33, according to Bosnian agency ONASA.

Rescuers have reached the body of Cajlakovic, but were still searching through the coals for Pipo's body, Arnaut was quoted as saying.

Waste coal, usually a mix of coal, soil and rock, is a usable but low-energy byproduct of coal processing operations, and is often discarded in large piles near mines