By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
At least, three persons have been confirmed dead following the collapse of a mining pit in the Adunu community in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba’arah, confirmed the casualties and the rescue of one person in the unfortunate incident.
According to the DG, all those trapped were recovered from the pit following community efforts.
The mining site is said to be an illegal mining site that attracts mostly women and children from the community, according to a report obtained by our correspondent.
Earlier, the state chairman of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Yusuf Shuaibu, told Channels Television that the pit caved in around 10 am, trapping an unconfirmed number of workers.
He added that the association had mobilised a team for on-the-spot assessment of the scene of the incident with support from the government of Niger State.
This tragedy is coming just a few days after a mining pit collapsed in Galadima-Kogo, Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.
One life was reportedly lost in that first incident, while about 30 others, including the site manager, Alhaji Ibrahim Ishaku, were trapped, with about 6 rescued and efforts to rescue the others ongoing as at the time, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, on behalf of the federal government, led a team on a rescue mission to the site.
The permanent secretary of Niger State Ministry for Mineral Resources, Alhaji Yunusa Mohammed Nahauni, blamed the management of the mining company for the collapse.
The commissioner said the collapse was due to lack of compliance and synergy between the mining company’s management and the community.