Following heavy rains, a pit collapsed, trapping about thirty miners, and at least one person was killed, according to emergency officials on Wednesday. Nigerian rescuers were working to free the trapped miners.
Abdullahi Baba Ara, the chief of the SEMA state relief agency, told AFP that dozens of miners working for a local firm were working late Sunday in a large artisanal pit in the Shiroro district of central Niger State when it collapsed.
Six people were rescued with serious injuries, and one person had died, according to a SEMA report.
Rescue workers were having difficulty getting to the scene because of threats from heavily armed criminal gangs known as bandits in the area. It was unclear how many miners were actually trapped.
In the region, minerals like lithium, tantalite, and gold are mined.Difficult terrain and limited equipment were also impeding rescue operations.
“We had planned to deploy to the area, but we were asked not to by security personnel due to the insecure nature of the area as a result of presence of bandits,” Ara said.
Bandits terrorize various districts in Niger State, including Shiroro. They attack isolated villages in northwest and central Nigeria, robbing them of their valuables and holding their hostages for ransom.
According to the SEMA report, 20 more individuals were kidnapped nearby on Tuesday after six people were stolen in the region on Sunday.
Because of safety and security concerns, the Niger state government prohibited mining operations in the districts of Shiroro, Munya, and Rafi last year.
However, after bandit incursions forced many to flee their homes and farmlands, artisanal miners disregarded the prohibition and carried on mining to obtain money for food and other necessities.
