18 lifeless in goldmine collapse in southern Niger, rescue operation underway

At least 18 folks died when an artisanal goldmine collapsed in southern Niger close to the border with Nigeria, the native mayor stated on Monday.

“The provisional death toll is 18 people, whom we buried this morning,” Adamou Gueraou, mayor of Dan-Issa district, advised AFP of Sunday’s catastrophe.”There were also seven hospitalised with injuries,” he stated, including that Nigerian nationals had been among the many injured.The accident was sparked when artisanal wells collapsed on the Garin-Liman mine website on Sunday afternoon, he stated.READ: Fuel tanker blast in Sierra Leone claims 99 lives, one other 100 rushed to hospitals”Rescue operations are still going on, there might still be bodies trapped at the bottom of the pits,” a neighborhood supply stated.The Garin-Liman mines had been found just a few months in the past, however 1000’s of miners have since flocked to the realm.For many years, Niger’s goldmines have attracted prospectors, notably within the western Tillaberi area, now the scene of lethal jihadist assaults, and within the north close to the Libyan border.Breaking information: Reports that not less than 20 folks have died in a goldmine incident in Niger, leaving dozens of them trapped pic.twitter.com/MNZf4MLbSp— Mawunya (@Mawunya_) November 8, 2021
Accidents at these websites are frequent due to soil instability and the outdated strategies employed by the miners, in accordance with the authorities.Several artisanal goldmines had been shut in 2017 as a part of authorities efforts to modernise the business.Since 2004, Niger has had just one industrial mine at Samira within the Tillaberi area.