Harare- Two illegal Zimbabwean miners have
died after the gold mine they were working in collapsed, while
20 others remained trapped underground, the state-owned Herald
newspaper reported on Thursday.
The newspaper quoted a Civil Protection Unit (CPU) official
in Kwekwe district, 200 km south-west of the capital Harare,
saying a rescue team had found two bodies but was yet to start
rescuing the trapped miners.
Head of the CPU Nathan Nkomo said he could not immediately
comment.
The accident comes a year after at least 22 miners died near
Kwekwe, which highlighted the risks run by illegal gold miners
in Zimbabwe.
In the latest accident, the miners were illegally mining at
Globe and Phoenix gold mine. They entered the shaft on Wednesday
night but did not emerge as expected on Thursday morning, the
Herald said.
Kwekwe and the areas are rich in gold deposits and popular
with artisanal miners, known locally as "Makorokoza" or
hustlers, who use picks and shovels and generator-powered water
pumps.
In the past month police have arrested hundreds of illegal
miners involved in violent turf wars for mining claims.