At least 100 people are feared dead following the collapse of a gold mining pit in Zamfara State, survivors and residents said on Friday.
The pit at the Kadauri mining site in the Maru local government area caved in on Thursday night while scores of artisanal miners were working underground, witnesses told Reuters.
Rescue operations continued into Friday.
Sanusi Auwal, a local resident involved in rescue efforts, said at least 13 bodies had been retrieved from the rubble, including that of his cousin. “Over 100 miners were involved during the collapse,” Auwal told Reuters by phone.
Also, the Executive Secretary of Zamfara State Emergency Management Agency (ZSEMA), Amb. Bala Ahmad on Friday, confirmed the collapse of mining pits trapping several artisanal miners.
Ahmad, who gave the confirmation to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau on Friday, however, did not give further information on the incident which occurred on Thursday night.
The ES said that he was in a meeting with stakeholders, assuring to give further details on the incident in due course.
Local community leaders, however, told NAN via telephone that many artisanal miners were trapped following the collapse of mining pits.
They said that the mining pits collapsed after several hours of rain in the area.
The locals said that the number of casualties and those still trapped in the mining pits were not yet known.
They, however, said those who sustained injuries were being treated at the Maru General Hospital.
The locals said they were battling alongside officers of the state to rescue survivors still trapped in the collapse pits. (NAN)
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