LONDON -- British police say five men have been killed in an accident at a scrap metal recycling plant in central England.

West Midlands Police say officers were called by the ambulance service Thursday morning to reports of a wall collapse at Hawkeswood Metal in the Nechells area of Birmingham. The force said five men were pronounced dead at the scene and a sixth was taken to a local hospital with leg injuries.

Detective Superintendent Mark Payne said "we are still in the very early stages of this investigation," and health and safety officials are assisting police.

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The company was fined in 2012 after an accident in which a worker's arm was trapped in machinery.