Driver missing after truck sinks into mine shaft in freak accident

Midlands Bureau
A 24-YEAR-OLD driver employed by a Chinese company Hunan Xinyu Mine in Gweru is missing after the tipper truck he was driving allegedly sunk in a mine shaft filled with water.
Midlands Provincial police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the freak accident that occurred on Tuesday.
“A 24-year-old man went missing when a truck he was driving got trapped after a mine collapsed. The accident occurred at Hunan Xinyu Mine near Connemara, Gweru on December 17 at around 930 pm,” he said.
Insp Mahoko said the missing driver has been identified as Walter Murevachimwe a resident of Ngezi in Kadoma.
He said Murevachimwe was employed by Hunan Xinyu Mining as a driver.
“On the fateful day, Murevachimwe was on duty driving a Tipper Truck. As he was reversing the truck, intending to load Gold ore the mine suddenly collapsed and the Tipper truck sunk into the mine shaft saturated with water,” he said.
Insp Mahoko said the police attended the scene together with a team from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development from Gweru.
“They discovered that the truck had sunk in the mine shaft and was covered with muddy water, ” he said.
Insp Mahoko said the rescue team managed to pump out the water and recovered the truck using excavators. “The driver was not located. Efforts are still underway searching for Murevachimwe,” he said.