13 confirmed dead as mining pit collapses in Zamfara

The Federal Government has confirmed the tragic death of 13 out of 15 miners who were trapped in a mine pit collapse at Jabaka village, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State last Thursday.

The confirmation was issued in a statement by Segun Tomori, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has ordered the immediate deployment of Federal Mines Officers to the site to coordinate rescue efforts in partnership with state officials.

At the time of filing the report, two trapped persons were yet to be recovered.

Bemoaning the incident, the Minister was quoted to have described the tragedy as avoidable and unfortunate, stressing that the site will be sealed off once recovery efforts are concluded.

“I received with deep shock the report of the unfortunate incident in Zamfara, which has unfortunately resulted in some casualties. Our first responders have been mobilized to the site and are working with officials of the state government on rescue operations, after which the site will be sealed off,” he said.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the collapsed site, known for loose sandy soil and traces of gold, was being exploited by illegal miners using rudimentary tools, despite the environmental and safety risks inherent to the terrain.

It will be recalled that in a bid to tackle illegal mining, the Minister launched the mining marshals over a year ago. A development that led to the arrest of over 300 illegal miners across 10 states and the FCT and the sealing of 98 illegal mining sites across the country.