Chronicle Editor
Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
Three artisanal miners are feared dead after they fell into a disused mine shaft in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The miners were said to have been sleeping under a shed on top of a closed disused mine shaft at Yellow Snake Mine just outside Kwekwe when disaster struck.
Acting Kwekwe District Civil Protection Unit (CPU) Chairperson, Mr Clemence Muduma confirmed the incident.
“We are at the scene as we speak where three miners are feared dead after they fell into a disused mine shaft while sleeping at night. We are told that they were six of them sleeping on top of the closed mine shaft but three somewhat survived,” said Mr Muduma. The mine shaft is said to be approximately 25 metres deep.
Mr Muduma yesterday said chances were slim that they would be rescued alive.
“Rescue efforts have been going on since morning but we strongly suspect that they are now dead.
Members of the community, fellow miners, Zimbabwe Republic Police and Zimbabwe National Army are on the ground trying to remove the rubble covering the miners.
“We earlier on had an excavator assisting in removing the rubble and work is still on to rescue the miners,” said Mr Muduma.
The caving in of the mine shaft could have been caused by the heavy rains that have been pounding the country in the past few weeks.
Last week, 14 miners were rescued after being trapped in a mine tunnel for two days at Peace Mine in Silobela.
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