A man has been killed after a makeshift mine collapse in southwest Queensland, with the victim's friend alerting police to the tragic incident in the remote part of the state.
The 62-year-old victim's body was found Saturday night buried under about 2 metres of rubble at the mine where he had been working alone.
The remote location at Opalton, between Winton and Jundah, meant it took emergency services about 6 hours to get to the grizzly scene where a large trench had collapsed and was full of dirt and rock.
Police had to dig with their hands through the rubble and debris to retrieve the miner's body. They were alerted to the incident when a friend of the victim turned up at the site and couldn't find him.
The cause of the collapse remains unknown at this stage and there are no suspicious circumstances, police said on Sunday morning.
Police have informed Workplace Health and Safety and the Department of Mines and Energy of the incident.