Thirteen miners have been killed in a mining accident in Zimbabwe, southern Africa, according to the government. There is no hope of finding the four people initially missing after Friday’s accident, Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said on Sunday.
A total of 34 miners were buried during illegal gold mining when a closed gold mine collapsed in Chegutu, about 100 kilometers northwest of the capital Harare. Rescue teams recovered 21 survivors and found nine bodies. “It was difficult to rescue them from the collapsed shaft. Sadly, we have to come to terms with the fact that the four people still missing are already dead,” Chiwenga said.
Disaster Management Unit head Nathan Nkomo said the rescue operation was hampered by the lack of adequate resources. “The reality is that we don’t have enough resources for these types of situations. More lives could have been saved,” he said.
Long history of mining accidents
Zimbabwe has a long history of mining accidents. The deadliest occurred in 1972, when a series of underground explosions killed 427 people. The country in southern Africa with approximately 16 million inhabitants has rich natural resources, including large gold reserves.
However, Zimbabwe’s economy is in serious crisis, with high unemployment and runaway inflation. Poverty drives many people to seek their fortune in illegal gold mining.
Source: Krone
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