KWEKWE – Only five miners had been trapped in a collapsed mine in Kwekwe, and not up to 20 as initial reports indicated, an official said on Friday.
A tunnel collapse at Globe and Phoenix Mine on Wednesday night trapped illegal miners underground, with initial reports putting the number as high as 20.
Kwekwe District Development Co-ordinator, Fortune Mupundu, who is also the chairman of the local committee of the Civil Protection Unit, said only five miners were underground at the time of the collapse of the tunnel.
Two died and another two, he said, had been injured. One came out unscathed.
“I can confirm only two died. The figure of 20 is an exaggeration by the media,” he said.
He said of the five trapped miners, three were employees of the mine, and two illegal panners who sneaked in unauthorised when operations closed for the day.
The mine closes at 6PM each day, but the trapped miners illegally went underground at 7PM.
Mupundu said mine officials and others were notified of the tunnel collapse by the miner who escaped without injury, triggering the rescue efforts.
He said army engineers had also joined the rescue, and were assessing the state of mine which was condemned by the Environmental Management Agency in 2017 for failing to meet safety standards. – New Ziana
