A tragic incident in northern Nigeria has resulted in the death of at least 18 individuals after a large rock collapsed onto an illegal gold mine due to heavy rainfall. Rescue teams are now searching for dozens of missing persons.
The landslide occurred on Thursday at the mine located in Zamfara State, near the village of Kaduri in the Maru area.
Sani Lawali, a miner from Kaduri, reported, “We have recovered 18 bodies from the mine, and five survivors have sustained varying degrees of injuries.” He further noted that 12 additional miners remain trapped, with their fate still uncertain.
Lawali, who is involved in the rescue operations, mentioned that “the work is slow and arduous; we are manually breaking through the rocks to reach the mine.”
Rescue teams, primarily consisting of artisanal miners, have requested a nearby construction company to provide a bulldozer to expedite their efforts, but there has been no response thus far.
Local official Abubakar Nabubi confirmed that “18 bodies have been found in the mine shaft,” including 15 from the neighboring communities of Maikwanuga and Damaga. He added that “rescue workers are exhausted and are using rudimentary tools for digging.