At least five people have died following the collapse of a mining pit at Mayo Kam in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The pit reportedly collapsed on the suspected miners on Thursday, during which 20 people were feared trapped. It was gathered that fellow miners at the site subsequently launched a rescue operation.
om the pit through an operation embarked upon by miners at the site,” he said.
According to him, the operation began hours after the incident occurred and was expected to continue yesterday morning, adding that the rescue effort was difficult because of the depth of the pit.
The Sarkin Dawa said the identities and places of origin of the victims were yet to be established because miners at the site came from different parts of the country and beyond.
He suggested that the victims could be from the same state as miners usually worked in groups at individual pits.
“There are many pits at the site, each being manned by at least 10 people or more.
“What happened yesterday was a sad event and it has brought fear and uncertainty to the miners who work at the risk of arrest or being buried,” he added.
He said it was difficult to determine the exact number of miners trapped in the collapsed pit because it was a large one where more than 20 miners could work at a time.
It would be recalled that the Taraba State Task Force on Illegal Mining had shut several illegal mining sites across the state in recent months. However, illegal miners have continued to return to some of the sites despite enforcement efforts.
