At least 13 people have been confirmed dead and several others remain trapped after a mining pit collapsed in Kadauri village, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
An eyewitness, Sani Hassan, who narrowly escaped, said he was among the lucky survivors. According to him, he had stepped out of the pit for water just moments before the tragedy occurred.
“Just a few minutes after I came out of the mining pit, it suddenly collapsed while many of my colleagues were still inside,” he said.
He explained that frantic rescue efforts began immediately after the collapse.
“I was inside the pit earlier, but I came out to look for water. Immediately I left, the pit collapsed and buried some of my colleagues. There were more than 30 persons inside. Eleven dead bodies were evacuated, while several others are still there,” he added.
A local resident, Sanusi Auwal, who also joined the rescue operations, told Reuters that no fewer than 13 bodies had been retrieved, including that of his cousin.
“Over 100 miners were involved during the collapse,” Auwal said.
Another survivor, Isa Sani, who is currently receiving medical treatment for injuries, recounted:
“We are lucky to be rescued alive. Out of more than 100 people, only 15 of us were rescued.”
The Zamfara State Miners Association confirmed the incident through one of its officials, Muhammadu Isa, on Friday.
Efforts to reach the state police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, for comments were unsuccessful as repeated calls went unanswered.