Zamfara mine collapse: Solid Minerals Ministry leads rescue operations

…as 13 amerciable miners killed

By Gabriel Ewepu

The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, yesterday, disclosed deployment of Federal Mines officers to pb rescue operations astatine a mining pit that collapsed successful Kadauri Village, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

This was contained successful a connection signed by the Special Assistant connected Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, saying, “The collapse, triggered by dense rainfall and aggravated by the unlawful activities of amerciable miners, trapped astatine slightest 15 (15) itinerant excavation workers. Thirteen (13) of them person been recovered, tragically with nary survivors. Efforts are underway to retrieve the remaining two, who are inactive trapped successful the rubble.

“Reacting to the incident, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake bemoaned the tragedy, describing the nonaccomplishment of lives arsenic some avoidable and unfortunate. He stressed that applicable departments of the ministry person been mobilized to assistance rescue operations and unearth the circumstances starring to the incident.”

The connection quoted the Minister arsenic saying, “I received with heavy daze the study of the unfortunate incidental successful Zamfara, which has unluckily resulted successful immoderate casualties.

“Our archetypal responders person been mobilized to the tract and are moving with officials of the authorities authorities connected rescue operations, aft which the tract volition beryllium sealed off.”

Meanwhile, according to the statement, preliminary investigations uncover that the country is characterized by escaped soil and traces of gold, making it suitable for alluvial mining. Once golden traces were discovered, amerciable miners mobilized itinerant workers who rushed to the tract with rudimentary tools, disregarding the biology and information risks inherent to the terrain.

The connection further reads that, “In a bid to tackle amerciable mining, it volition beryllium recalled that Alake launched the mining marshals implicit a twelvemonth ago, and their operations person led to the apprehension of implicit 300 amerciable miners crossed 10 states and the FCT and the sealing of 98 amerciable mining sites. Efforts to grow the scope of their operations nationwide and bolster their capableness with further unit and logistics are underway.

“However, Zamfara presents a unsocial situation owed to its past of banditry anterior to the existent administration.”

The connection besides added that, “The Tinubu medication is tackling the contented decisively done subject clearance operations coordinated by the National Security Adviser (NSA). In airy of improved information successful the state, the Minister successful December 2024 announced the lifting of the prohibition connected exploration mining activities successful Zamfara.

“Since then, the Federal Government has intensified information operations successful the authorities and successful the North-west portion to guarantee that afloat mining operations resume successful earnest.

“To further fortify oversight and monitoring of mining sites nationwide, the Ministry has commenced the process of installing outer surveillance systems. This volition alteration real-time monitoring and proactive responses to incidents specified arsenic the Zamfara collapse, portion deterring amerciable activities.

“Whilst the ministry awaits a broad study of ongoing investigations into the Maru excavation pit collapse, the Minister reaffirms the Federal Government’s zero-tolerance stance connected amerciable mining, informing each progressive to desist oregon look the afloat value of the law.

“We volition not relent until we escaped this state of the nefarious activities of amerciable miners. Despite our immense onshore mass, we stay undaunted. With outer surveillance and different enforcement measures underway, we purpose to drastically trim excavation collapses crossed the state and tighten the noose astir sponsors of amerciable mining”, Alake asserted.

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The station Zamfara excavation collapse: Solid Minerals Ministry leads rescue operations appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.