Dozens of gold miners are trapped underground after a well collapsed in central Nigeria.
The incident happened on Monday after heavy rain in Niger state, but news was slow to emerge due to the general strike in the country, which was called off on Tuesday.
Niger state emergency services agency spokesperson Hussaini Ibrahim told the BBC that one person has been confirmed dead and they think more than 30 people are still trapped as rescue efforts continue.
Authorities believe the collapse was caused by torrential rains that softened the ground.
“Like this morning [Wednesday] We believe that more than 30 people are still trapped, we cannot give exact numbers because even those who were at the scene did not know,” Ibrahim said.
“One person was confirmed dead and six people were rescued and rushed to hospital.”
He said four excavators and rescue teams were at the scene trying to help those trapped.
Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, said officials from the Mines Inspectorate have been dispatched to the mining site in Galadima Kogo.
“Rest assured, we will investigate the causes of the disaster to prevent a recurrence and ensure the safety of all Nigerians,” he said in a statement.
Mining accidents are not uncommon in Nigeria, with many of them involving illegal miners going unreported.
In January, a deadly explosion that rocked Ibadan, killing two people and injuring 77 others, was believed to have been caused by explosives stockpiled by illegal miners, the Oyo state government announced.
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