No fewer than seven miners have been reported dead after a mining pit collapsed on them at Kassa community in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on Wednesday evening.
PUNCH Metro gathered from multiple sources in the community on Thursday that the incident occurred at about 7pm when the pit suddenly collapsed on the miners while they were carrying out mining activities at the site.
A resident of the community, Albert Danlami, said, “The victims were trapped underground following the collapse, prompting residents and other miners to commence efforts to recover them.”
Danlami added that the incident caused panic in the community as residents “rushed to the mining site following the collapse.”
He further stated that the miners had been working at the site before the earth suddenly caved in on them, and noted that “some persons were injured following the collapse.”
Also confirming the incident, the Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, BYM, Rwang Tengwong, told our correspondent that “seven miners lost their lives in the incident,” adding that the victims were at the mining site when the pit collapsed.
According to Tengwong, efforts were made to rescue the miners after the incident, but they were found dead.
The tragedy has thrown the Kassa community into mourning. Locals who spoke with our correspondent described the incident as devastating and called for urgent government intervention in mining safety.
“We are heartbroken. These are young men who went to work to feed their families,” one community member, Timothy Bako, said.
“The pit was too deep, and there were no safety measures. Government must come and regulate these mining sites before more lives are lost,” he added.
Another resident who declined to give his name lamented: “Every time we hear this kind of news. People are digging with bare hands and no support. We need help from government and mining experts to prevent this from happening again.”
Community leaders have appealed to the Plateau State Government and relevant agencies to provide immediate assistance to the families of the deceased and to enforce stricter safety standards at mining sites across the local government area.
