No fewer than 13 bodies have been recovered, while many others are still trapped following the collapse of a mining site in Kadauri village, Maru Local Government Area, Zamfara State.
An eyewitness, who narrowly escaped death, Sani Hassan, said he was among those fortunate to survive the incident.
According to him, he was digging for gold in the pit on Thursday when he suddenly stepped out to drink water.
“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.
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Hassan explained that other miners rushed to the scene to rescue those trapped underground.
“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 said.
A local resident said to have been involved in the rescue efforts, Sanusi Auwal, told Reuters no fewer than 13 bodies had been retrieved from the rubble, including that of his cousin.
“Over 100 miners were involved during the collapse,” Auwal said.
“We are lucky to be rescued alive. Out of more than 100 people, only 15 of us were rescued,” said Isa Sani, who is currently receiving treatment for injuries.
An official of the Zamfara State Miners Association, Muhammadu Isa, confirmed the incident to the news agency on Friday.
The state police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, could not be reached for comments despite repeated calls on Friday.