At least 13 bodies have been pulled from the rubble after a gold mine collapsed in north-western Nigeria, with dozens of others still feared trapped underground.
The disaster occurred on Thursday at Kadauri village in Maru local government area of Zamfara state, where hundreds of informal miners dig daily in unsafe pits for gold.
One survivor, Sani Hassan, said he had stepped out of the mine to fetch water when the ground gave way. “Just a few minutes after I came out of the mining pit, it suddenly collapsed while many of my colleagues were still inside,” he told local reporters.
Another miner, Isa Sani, who is being treated for injuries, said more than 100 people had been in the pit. “Out of more than 100 people, only 15 of us were rescued,” he said.
Rescue efforts have so far retrieved 13 bodies, including that of a local resident’s cousin, according to eyewitness Sanusi Auwal. He said community members were digging with their bare hands in an attempt to save those still buried.
The Zamfara State Miners Association confirmed the incident on Friday. Police officials in the state did not respond to repeated calls for comment.
Zamfara, one of Nigeria’s poorest states, sits atop rich mineral deposits and has long been a hub for artisanal gold mining. But the industry is plagued by unsafe conditions, frequent pit collapses and links to armed groups who profit from the trade.
