Three people are still missing after a building collapsed above a gold mine in South Africa, trapping dozens.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union said the collapse at the Makonjwaan Gold Mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga province, had trapped some workers above ground and dozens of miners below ground.

The three people who are still missing worked above ground and were trapped in the building, said Russel Meiring, spokesman for the private emergency service ER24.

Paramedics estimate that 76 people were brought to the surface, Mr Meiring said. The rescued miners had no serious injuries and were taken to a local hospital for treatment, he said.

The cause of the collapse is believed to be a sinkhole, Mr Meiring added.

It was the second accident in a South African mine in the past two weeks, union spokesman Manzini Zungu said.