Zimbabwe’s state broadcaster reports that a gold mine collapse has killed six people and left 15 others trapped underground
September 30, 2023, 9:22 am ET
• 2 min reading
HARARE, Zimbabwe – Six people have died in a gold mine collapse in Zimbabwe and 15 others are still trapped underground, according to state media reports.
The state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation quoted Deputy Mines Minister Polite Kambamura as saying 34 miners were caught in Friday’s collapse. Thirteen managed to escape.
The broadcaster said on Saturday that rescue operations were underway at the Beyhose mine in the gold-rich town of Chegutu, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of the capital Harare.
Police and the mining ministry could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
Mine collapses are common in the southern African country, which is rich in gold, coal and diamonds, often involving artisanal miners. The country of 15 million also has Africa’s largest reserves of lithium, a mineral in demand worldwide for its use in electric car batteries.
Zimbabwe’s mineral-rich national parks, abandoned mines, rivers and even towns are often teeming with people, including young children, looking for valuable deposits – it is one of the few economic activities that remains alive in a country that has suffered from industrial shutdowns , go further. a currency crisis and rampant unemployment over the past two decades.
Critics blame economic mismanagement and corruption for the collapse of a once-thriving economy and one of Africa’s bright spots. The government points to two decades of sanctions imposed by the US over alleged human rights violations.