18 People Die After Goldmine Collapses in Southern Niger Rescue Ops Ongoing

At least 18 folks died when an artisanal goldmine collapsed in southern Niger close to the border with Nigeria, the native mayor stated on Monday.

“The provisional loss of life toll is 18 folks, whom we buried this morning,” Adamou Gueraou, mayor of Dan-Issa district, told AFP of Sunday’s disaster.

“There were also seven hospitalised with injuries,” he stated, including that Nigerian nationals had been among the many injured.

The accident was sparked when artisanal wells collapsed on the Garin-Liman mine website on Sunday afternoon, he stated.

“Rescue operations are nonetheless occurring, there would possibly nonetheless be our bodies trapped on the backside of the pits,” a local source said.

The Garin-Liman mines were discovered only a few months ago, but thousands of miners have since flocked to the area.

For decades, Niger’s goldmines have attracted prospectors, particularly in the western Tillaberi region, now the scene of deadly jihadist attacks, and in the north near the Libyan border.

Accidents at these sites are frequent because of soil instability and the outdated methods employed by the miners, according to the authorities.

Several artisanal goldmines were shut in 2017 as part of government efforts to modernise the industry.

Since 2004, Niger has had only one industrial mine at Samira in the Tillaberi region.