Rescue launched after NSW mine collapse

Two people are trapped following the collapse of a mine in the NSW Hunter Valley.

A rescue operation was launched after a wall collapsed at the Austar Coal Mine in Paxton, about 10km south of Cessnock, at about 9.15pm on Tuesday.

The extent of their injuries was unknown.

"There's been a roof fall underground and two people injured that we know of," an Ambulance NSW spokeswoman said in a statement.

"It's quite a distance below ground and we're trying to establish communication."

Police said two miners, both men, were initially unaccounted for and that emergency services were involved in a rescue operation.

But it's understood the men had been located and efforts were underway to rescue them.

Six ambulances, police and the NSW Fire and Rescue, as well as a helicopter, were at the scene.

The mine is run by Yancoal Australia, an Australian-Chinese partnership.