8 Miners Die In Mine Shaft Collapse

Various Zimbabwean news sources have reported that at least 8 miners have died following a mine shaft collapse at a gold mine in the Mazowe District in the Mashonaland Province of the country.

Local news reports have said that the 8 miners were killed when the shaft they were working on suddenly collapsed. At least four of the miners killed were above ground at the time of the collapse, but were sucked into the collapsing mine shaft.

It has also been confirmed that all 8 of the victims were illegal miners.

One colleague of the miners managed to escape the fate of his fellow workers, after he left the mine just before the collapse to fetch provisions at a store near the mine.

“Upon his return he discovered that the mine shaft had collapsed trapping the eight miners,” a police spokesperson told the media.

The local media has urged people living in the area who are missing relatives to visit the morgue in order to identify the 8 miners.

“The ZRP would like to urge members of the public who are missing relatives to visit Concession Hospital Mortuary and identify the deceased,” local newspapers said.

This is not the first time that a gold mine in the area has caused the death of illegal miners.

Back in September of last year in an eerily similar incident, 8 other illegal miners were killed when the shaft of the mine they had overrun also collapsed on them.

Illegal mining is commonplace in Zimbabwe, especially in the Mazowe District. These miners, know as “makorokoza” by the locals, work in dangerous and dilapidated mines with poorly dug shafts to try and make a living.