Barely two weeks after over 30 mining workers were buried following the collapse of a mining pit in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, another mining pit has collapsed in the Adunu community of Paikoro Local Government Area of the state.
The tragedy which struck at an illegal gold mining site in Bazakwoi resulted in the deaths of no fewer than three persons while one other victim was rescued with injuries at the scene.
Preliminary information from the mining pit collapse said an unidentified number of miners were buried in the pit. Indication to this effect emerged on Thursday evening when the Director General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba Arah, in a statement he signed, disclosed that the agency received the report of mining pit collapse at Bazakwoi.
Confirming the incident, the state chairman of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Yusuf Shuaibu, said the pit caved in around 10a.m., trapping an unconfirmed number of workers.
He added that the association has mobilised a team for on-the-spot assessment of the scene of the incident with support from the government of Niger State.
According to the NSEMA boss, “The incident occurred earlier today (Thursday) 13th June 2024. It involves local miners who are said to be illegally mining the gold deposit environment and scavenging for the mineral, thereby resulting in the deaths of no fewer than about three persons at the scene.”
