2 illegal miners die, 5 trapped in shaft

Rescue efforts continue to retrieve the bodies of trapped miners

Zim Now Writer

Two illegal miners were killed while five others are feared dead following a mine shaft collapsed and buried them underground.

The incident happened at Interfah Mine, aka Success Mine, in Matobo District of Matabeleland South Province.

Illegal miners flooded the area after reports that rich gold deposits had been discovered at the mine.

Mine director Philani Ncube said the trapped panners had entered the mine illegally.

“This is our mine and we had not commenced operations as we are in the process of registering. We got reports that people were coming to illegally mine here after discovering gold deposits using detectors,” he said.

“We then engaged the police from Matobo and they deployed the anti-riot police from their Support Unit who came and dispersed them. The gold panners who were trapped in the mine shaft came at night to illegally mine and unfortunately, the shaft collapsed on them,” he said.

Police who attended the scene took the bodies that had been retrieved to the mortuary while efforts to get to the other trapped miners were in progress.

The district development coordinator for Matobo, who is also the head of the Department of Civil Protection in the district, Obey Chaputsira urged those in the mining sector to follow precautionary measures given by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, arguing that due to the rains that are falling, the land becomes unstable.