Collapse in illegal mine in Tanzania kills 19
At least 19 Tanzanian gold miners have been killed after the pit they were working in collapsed in the northwestern Msalala district, a local official said.
The official on Saturday confirmed the death toll of the incident, which happened in the district of Msalala, northwestern Tanzania.
“The pit collapsed and buried several people who were working in it. Efforts are going on to dig out more bodies,” local police commissioner, Benson Mwampesaya, said, adding that the rubble is being dug as part of the ongoing search operations.
The collapse of the mine happened late Thursday but it took searchers until Friday to recover the 19 bodies.
Some reports claimed that the collapse was caused by a landslide in the region.
There are fears that many people are still trapped in the mine, with locals saying that at least 100 miners go down the pit daily.
Reuters quoted another police official as claiming that the people were engaged in illegal mining activity in an area co-owned by the Tanzanian government and a Canadian company.
A major producer of gold in Africa, Tanzania relies heavily on the precious metal as a source of obtaining foreign exchange.
The government has a poor system of regulating the mining operations with many people in the country using unsafe methods in searching for gold.
MS/HMV/SS
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