UPDATE: THREE DEAD, 11 INJURED IN ZAMFARA AS MINING PIT COLLAPSES

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Anka Local Government in Zamfara State’s Dan Kamfani saw a mining pit collapse that resulted in the deaths of three artisanal miners and the injuries of eleven others.

An eyewitness who works in the area claims that the incident occurred on Thursday at approximately 4 p.m.

Three artisanal miners were verified dead and eleven more were badly injured, according to an eyewitness who spoke to Channels Television on Saturday and begged to remain anonymous for security concerns.

He stated that the Anka General Hospital is now providing care for the injured.

“The mining collapsed a few minutes to 4 pm on Thursday, we don’t know the exact number of people inside the mining pit, but three dead bodies were recovered, and 11 others are seriously wounded.

“The three people that died are from Yar Tsabaya district of Anka local government. Up till now, we don’t have the actual figure of the people inside, and we cannot confirm the number of people because the mining pit is about 275 meters deep,” he stated.

Solid minerals abound in Zamfara, including granite, limestone, iron ore, and gold.

All mining activity has been outlawed by the federal and state governments, which also gave security forces the authority to enforce the prohibition.

The majority of artisanal miners in the state do not have the necessary permits or licences to explore minerals.