Two dozen bodies recovered from flooded illegal Zimbabwe gold mine

The bodies of 24 illegal gold miners have been recovered from flooded tunnels in Zimbabwe after a dam wall collapsed following heavy rain.

Up to 70 may have been trapped in the mine and the search near Kadoma continues, the government said. It has declared a national disaster.

A relative of a deceased miner

Image:
A relative of a deceased miner wears a mask near the mine
Eight people were rescued, all but one of whom have been discharged from hospital.

Henrietta Rushwaya, who leads the country’s small-scale miners’ association, said 23 of the bodies had been identified.

According to the government’s deputy chief mining engineer, “it doesn’t seem likely” that there are any other survivors.

Only eight of the estimated 70 trapped miners are thought to have survived

Only eight of the estimated 70 trapped miners are thought to have survived
The disaster happened in Battlefields – a small settlement 110 miles west of Harare that is rich in gold deposits and popular with illegal miners.

Friends and relatives have broken police lines in an attempt to identify their loved ones.

Surviving miners were exhausted and muddied after being pulled out

Surviving miners were exhausted and muddied after being pulled out
The makeshift shafts and tunnels, some running as deep as 50m (164ft), can easily collapse in the rainy season when the ground is soft.

According to the Zimbabwean government, $200,000 (ÂŁ155,000) is needed to complete the rescue effort – with a spokesman urging “well-wishers” to donate body bags, masks and gloves.

More News

Yadda rikici a kan gishirin N20 ya yi sanadiyyar mutuwar wani mutum a Kano

Wani magidanci mai suna Zakari Hamza mai shekaru 45, ya gamu da ajalinsa a hannun kanen matarsa, wani Magaji Salisu saboda gishirin N20. Dan marigayin,...

Sojoji Sun Kashe Mayaƙan IPOB 5

Dakarun rundunar sojan Najeriya da kuma ta rundunar sojan ruwan Najeriya a ranar Talata sun kashe mayaƙan ƙungiyar IPOB guda biyar a yayin musayar...

ĆŠan agajin Izala ya samu lambar yabo, kujerar hajji, kyautar mota bayan ya tsinci naira miliyan 100 ya mayar wa mai su

Salihu AbdulHadi Kankia, mamba ne na kungiyar agaji ta kungiyar Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), ya samu yabo da tukuicin mayar da...

Musulmi a Zaria sun yi taron addu’o’i saboda mummunan halin matsi da Najeriya ke ciki

Musulmi a garin Zaria na jihar Kaduna, sun gudanar da addu'a ta musamman domin neman taimakon Allah kan halin da 'yan Najeriya ke ciki...