Three people were killed and one injured when another mine collapsed on Thursday, almost two weeks after the mine in Shiroro, Niger State, collapsed and swallowed over fifty miners.
On Thursday, the state Ministry of Mineral Resources revealed that efforts to free the miners stuck in the Shiroro mine were still ongoing. They bemoaned the fact that international rescue companies had not offered them any support.
In the most recent mine collapse, three miners are reported to have died when a mining pit at an illegal gold mining site collapsed at Bazakwoi, Adunu Community, in the Paikoro Local Government Area.
Confirming the incident, the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, disclosed that nobody was trapped and so there was no need for a rescue operation.
He said, “NSEMA has received a report of mining pit collapse at Bazakwoi of Adnun community in Paikoro LGA of Niger State. The incident occurred earlier today, 13th June 2024. It involves local miners who are said to be illegally mining the gold deposit environment scavenging for the mineral.
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“As of the time of filing this report, three persons are confirmed dead while one person was rescued alive with injuries. No one was trapped, and as such, there was no search and rescue operation,” he stated.
In a report, a committee tasked by the Ministry of Mineral Resources with reevaluating African Minerals and Logistics Limited—the owners of the Shiroro mine where the miners were trapped—stated that rescue operations for the miners were still in progress.
“It was unfortunate to note the absence of any multinational rescue teams at the site. The company management is left on their own with the support of the Niger State Ministry of Mineral Resources for supervision and monitoring of the rescue operation,” the committee report stated.
City Round, however, learned that families of the trapped miners had conducted prayers for their relatives believing they were dead. A government official made this known under anonymity, adding that “some families of the victims have held the Muslim seven-day Fidau prayer on Monday.
“The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the company operating the mining site are using artisanal miners to dig the place. The rescue effort is being done manually. And some families held a seven-day Fidau prayer on Monday for their relations. They believe the victims would have died by now,” the official said.
