A mining site has collapsed in Galkogo village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger, killing one person and trapping more than 30 others, the state Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) has said.
“One person had been confirmed dead, six were rescued with severe injuries, and more than 30 people were still being trapped,” the agency said.
The Director-General of the agency, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, said in Minna on Tuesday that the incident occurred on June 3.
He said that the agency received a report of a mining site collapse at Galkogo village in Shiroro.
Baba-Arah said that the cause of the mining site’s collapse was heavy rainfall impacts on the soil.
He expressed concerns that the rescuers ran for safety from the site because the site kept falling.
He also noted that the agency had yet to get full details on rescue operations due to insecurity in the area.
He, however, said that excavators had been deployed to the site for the rescue operations.
The director-general also said that the agency received reports of persistent bandit attacks in Shiroro and Mashegu local government areas of the state.
He said that the bandits reportedly attacked Adogo Malam village on June 2 and kidnapped six people.
He also said that the suspected bandits kidnapped more than 20 people and stole many cattle in Tunga Kawo, an adjoining community from Erena.
