Zamfara gold miners remain trapped underground after tunnel collapses cutting them off

SEVERAL gold miners have been reported trapped in a tunnel in Kadauri in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State after the shaft in which they were operating collapsed cutting them off from the outside world.

In 1999, Zamfara State enjoyed a boost in gold discoveries, leading to a massive growth in the local artisanal and small-scale mining industry.  Most of the miners use manual subsistence mining methods, using simple tools that is semi-mechanised involving light machinery such as generators, water pumps and small motorized mills.

As most of these miners are not part of commercial mining companies, they do not have the most sophisticated equipment and seldom observe modern health and safety regulations. This has led to several industrial accidents lately and according to Bala Ahmad, the executive secretary of the Zamfara State Emergency Management Agency, another pit collapsed yesterday.

Speaking in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, Mr Ahmad said that he was in a meeting with stakeholders to ascertain the number of miners affected. Local community leaders, said, however, that the mining pits collapsed after several hours of rain in the area but they are unable to give a figure either.

They confirmed, however, that those who sustained injuries were being treated at the Maru General Hospital in Gusau and they were working to rescue survivors still trapped in the collapse pits. This incident follows a similar accident on Thursday in the Dura community in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, where four miners lost their lives after a mining tunnel collapsed.