MOSCOW, Oct 21 (Reuters) - At least seven people have died and one was missing after going below ground to illegally work in a derelict Siberian tungsten mine, Interfax news agency reported on Sunday.

A group of local residents went missing after going down the mine in the Buriyatiya region for tungsten ore last week, prompting a major search operation.

The mine, known as Razvedochnaya, was closed in 1996 but residents had been working the deposit illegally, rescuers said.

Tungsten is one of the hardest known metals and has a very high melting point. It is used in tools, weapons and light bulbs.

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