MANY people are feared dead after an illegal mining pit collapsed at Mayo Kam community in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State on Thursday.
News Point Nigeria reports that the incident occurred in the afternoon as miners worked at the site, with several people trapped underground.
As of the time of filing this report, the exact number of casualties had not been officially established.
As many as 20 people may have been trapped underneath the collapsed pit.
Speaking to this newspaper on Friday, Victor Mshelizah, spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, said five people had so far been confirmed dead as rescue operations continued.
“It’s at an illegal mining site at Mayo Kam community under Bali local government,” Mshelizah said.
“So far, only five people have been confirmed dead. But we are trying to find out if there are more people trapped, so we can rescue them.
“We have men on the ground already and we have been there since yesterday.”
The incident has thrown the community into mourning, as most of the victims are said to be indigenes of the village.
The development comes as 37 suspected illegal miners arrested in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto villages in Niger State were found dead in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
In a statement on Thursday, Suberu Aniviye, NSCDC Commandant in Niger State, said the suspects were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16.
The Federal Government has since suspended Aniviye, while ordering an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
