HARARE: At least 23 illegal gold miners had been feared lifeless in Zimbabwe on Thursday after water flooded two disused shafts in a mining the city 145 kilometres south-west of the capital Harare.
Rescuers had been trying to make use of pumps to extract water in the search for survivors and bodies at the site close to the town of Kadoma.
"We heard from their colleagues that at least 23 people are trapped in the mine shaft which was flooded by water from a dam wall which burst due to heavy rains on Tuesday night," Wilson Gwatiringa, spokesman for mining company RioZim, house owners of one of the crucial mines, instructed AFP.
"One of them is our mine which was no longer in operation. We are assisting on humanitarian grounds." The state-owned Herald newspaper mentioned the opposite mine was privately owned.
District administrator Fortunate Muzul, instructed the paper a minimum of 23 other people had been trapped underground and that the "chances of rescuing any survivors are very slim".
"The illegal miners entered the shafts at night to evade the owners," Muzulu mentioned. Police would now not confirm the incident, pronouncing they had been yet to obtain a complete document. Zimbabwe has valuable platinum, diamond, gold, coal and copper deposits.
Rescuers had been trying to make use of pumps to extract water in the search for survivors and bodies at the site close to the town of Kadoma.
"We heard from their colleagues that at least 23 people are trapped in the mine shaft which was flooded by water from a dam wall which burst due to heavy rains on Tuesday night," Wilson Gwatiringa, spokesman for mining company RioZim, house owners of one of the crucial mines, instructed AFP.
"One of them is our mine which was no longer in operation. We are assisting on humanitarian grounds." The state-owned Herald newspaper mentioned the opposite mine was privately owned.
District administrator Fortunate Muzul, instructed the paper a minimum of 23 other people had been trapped underground and that the "chances of rescuing any survivors are very slim".
"The illegal miners entered the shafts at night to evade the owners," Muzulu mentioned. Police would now not confirm the incident, pronouncing they had been yet to obtain a complete document. Zimbabwe has valuable platinum, diamond, gold, coal and copper deposits.
23 feared dead in flood at disused Zimbabwe gold mine
![23 feared dead in flood at disused Zimbabwe gold mine]()
Reviewed by Kailash
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February 14, 2019
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