ONE person has been confirmed dead, several others injured, and 30 persons including the site manager still trapped as a mining pit collapsed in the Galkago community of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency Abdullahi Baba’arah and made available to newsmen in Minna, the mining pit was reported to have collapsed around Monday afternoon.
He said the agency received a report of a mining site which collapsed on June 3, at Galkogo village of Shiroro.
He said, “One person has been confirmed dead, six persons rescued with severe injuries while more than 30 people were still being trapped.”
Baba-Arah said that the cause of the mining site collapse was as a result of heavy rainfall that impacted the soil.
He expressed concerns that the rescuers ran for safety from the site because the site kept falling.
He also noted that the agency had yet to get full details on rescue operations due to insecurity in the area.
He, however, said that excavators had been deployed to the site for the rescue operations.
The Director-General also said that the agency received reports of persistent bandit attacks in Shiroro and Mashegu local government areas of the state.
He said that the bandits reportedly attacked Adogo Malam village on June 2 and kidnapped six persons.
He also said that the suspected bandits kidnapped more than 20 people and stole cattle in Tunga Kawo, an adjoining community from Erena.
However, the Niger State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Ahmed Baba Suleiman Yumu, has revealed that insecurity and difficult terrain are hindering rescue operations of 30 miners trapped in a pit that collapsed in Galadima-Kogo, Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.
The commissioner in a statement by the Director Media and Strategy in the ministry, Hanibu Abubakar Wushishi, said the ministry and other relevant stakeholders were making effort to rescue the trapped victims.
He said, “The ministry in collaboration with other agencies and other professional stakeholders are doing their best in seeing that the trapped miners are rescued even though it’s been over 24 hours since the collapse occured. The rescue efforts are still on despite the difficult terrain, insecurity in the area and the possibility of more collapse if the rescue effort is not done professionally and cautiously.
“The commissioner and his permanent secretary once again appeal to artisanal miners to be careful on mining procedures and call on the relevant authorities to monitor, supervise and prevent the mining which is fast spreading to every nook and cranny of the state to avert future occurrence.
“The ministry appeals for patience, understanding and prayers from all Nigerlites and Nigerians for the successful rescue of this innocent artisanal miners.”