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BINDURA – Some 40 informal miners were trapped underground in northeast Zimbabwe after a well collapsed in a disused gold mine, the country’s miners’ federation said on Thursday.
The disaster struck Wednesday night in the town of Bindura, about 70 kilometers north of the capital Harare, said Wellington Takavarasha, director of the Zimbabwe Federation of Miners.
AFP journalists witnessed rescuers pumping water from a flooded main well in hopes of opening a passageway for miners.
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“We understand that there were some organized mining unions that were mining here,” Nathan Nkomo, director of the state rescue agency known as the Civil Protection Unit, told AFP at the scene.
“After some of the pillars were blown up, that’s when the whole mine collapsed,” he said, adding that the “exact numbers are not yet established.”
Takavarasha told AFP that miners were working inside the disused Ran gold mine when a well collapsed.
Since then, six miners have been removed and taken to hospital.
“Those who were rescued said that there were around 40 people in the mine shaft at the time of the incident,” Takavarasha said.
As rescuers worked, hundreds of people gathered in mounds near the mining area, which is dotted with holes and crevices that miners dig to extract the ore.
Some were relatives, sitting under the trees while waiting for updates from the authorities.
Funeral companies set up tents at the site.
“I’m waiting for my brother’s son who is trapped underground,” said Patience Jacob.
“The rescue team is helping, but I think they are not that effective … I doubt they will get them back alive,” he said.
– Driven underground –
The Ran mine was closed 10 years ago and the laid off workers stayed behind to informally extract the residual gold.
Mining is a major source of foreign exchange for Zimbabwe, where gold alone accounts for 60 percent of exports.
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The gold sector provides jobs for nearly 10 percent of the country’s population, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG), a key source of employment in the struggling economy.
An estimated 1.5 million people have turned to artisanal mining as a safety net, the ICG said in a report published this week, adding that poverty and the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic will likely lead to more people. towards the sector.
Last year, artisanal and small-scale miners were responsible for 63 percent of recorded gold production, according to official statistics.
Small-scale miners often operate illegally to avoid selling their bullion to the state buyer, Fidelity Printers and Refiners, as they are only paid 55 percent in foreign currency.
The remaining 45 percent is paid in Zimbabwean dollars, which is notoriously weak and volatile.
Accidents are relatively common in dismantled mines, particularly when the soil is loosened by rain.
* See an update from eNCA Zimbabwe correspondent Pindai Dube above
