1st LD Writethru: 23 illegal miners die in Zimbabwe mine flood
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E-mail Xinhua, February 14, 2019
HARARE, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 23 illegal miners died in Zimbabwe on Tuesday evening when shafts and tunnels at two mines were flooded by water, state media reported Thursday.
Interlinked shafts and tunnels at two mines in Battlefields, Mashonaland West Province, were flooded after the collapse of a dam wall due to heavy rains received in the area, said the report.
The dam wall reportedly collapsed around 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, flooding shafts at leading gold producer RioZim's Cricket Mine and another one owned by an individual known as Baxter.
While the number of the dead miners was given as 23, there were fears that more miners could have perished in the disaster.
Mashonaland West provincial administrator Cecilia Chitiyo said the local Civil Protection Unit (CPU) had been activated to offer assistance.
"We are waiting for more information from the people on the ground and the local CPU is on standby to offer assistance as soon as the disaster is confirmed," she said.
"We urgently need to mobilize more pumps. As many as we can because the water levels are continuously rising from beneath and we are not sure if the miners had reached an aquifer below," she said.
Mhondoro-Ngezi district administrator Fortunate Muzulu, who visited the two mines Wednesday, said chances of rescuing any survivors were very slim since the shafts were flooded to the surface.
"The names of people believed to have been trapped has reached 23, with 19 reportedly trapped at the RioZim-owned mine with another four from the other mine," she said.
Muzulu said more artisanal miners could have been trapped underground.
The illegal miners, she said, entered the shafts and tunnels under the cover of darkness without the knowledge of mine owners and disappeared early in the morning.
RioZim spokesperson Wilson Gwatiringa, who also visited the site Wednesday, confirmed that efforts were underway to drain the water from the shafts.
"I am not sure how many people are trapped but estimates from their colleagues say above 20," he said. "The operations are led by Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and we are playing a supporting role." Enditem
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