Harare [Zimbabwe], October 3 : At least 10 people were killed after a gold mine collapsed in Zimbabwe's Chegutu district, reported CNN.
According to local media reports, the search for survivors is underway even three days after the disused mine collapsed.
Quoting Marian Chombo, a province official, Al Jazeera reported that 42 artisanal miners were said to be working underground at the Bay Horse Mine in Chegutu on Friday when it collapsed on them.
Local sources state that 21 of them have been rescued and that 10 more may still remain under the wreckage. Ten deaths have been confirmed so far, the reports further said. Some of the deceased were found pinned beneath rocks, CNN reported citing the state media.
Zimbabwe's Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has said that the government will cover the deceased's funeral expenses, and that the toll may rise further.
The mine, which is located in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West province, sits 62 miles west of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. The miners had gone into the mine - said to be about 150 meters deep, “using undesignated entry points,” Chombo added, according to CNN.
Chombo requested assistance from the province's mining businesses for rescue efforts.
In Zimbabwe, which has abundant resources of gold and diamonds, artisanal mining is prevalent. The country in southern Africa also has a lot of accidents during illicit mining operations.
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