Mohammed Shosanya
One person has been confirmed dead, six others seriously injured when a mine collapsed in Galkogo village, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger state.
Besides,thirty others including the Manager of the mine are still trapped in the collapsed mine.
The Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA),Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
Arah said the Mine belongs to, “African Minirals and Logistics Limited”.
Attributing the collapse to ”Persistent rainfall impacts that softened the soil”, Arah said the rescuers who rushed to the scene had to run for dear lives because the soil kept melting and falling inside due to its softness caused by rainfall.
Though an excavator had been sent to the area to assist in the rescue operation the area is inaccessible because of the nature of the environment and the area is one of the strong holds of armed bandits.
The NSEMA Director-General has also confirmed that armed banditry is causing serious setbacks to rescue of the trapped miners.
He further explained that ”persistent banditry activities in some Shiroro and Mashegu local government communities in the last four days.
According to him, “Adogo Mallam village was attacked on Sunday, leading to the kidnap of six persons”.
“We also had reports of another incident on Monday at Tunga Kawo community, located about three kilometres away from Erena village Shiroro Local Government, over 20 persons were kidnapped with hundreds of cows rustled when bandits attacked the community”.
