Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve [email protected]
A 40-year-old Lupane man died last week after being buried alive while working in a narrow, deep hole.
The body of Nkosilathi Ndlovu was retrieved on Monday by a specialist mine rescue team.
Matabeleland North Provincial Police Spokesperson, Inspector Glory Banda, confirmed the incident which occurred in Bhondo Village, under Chief Mabhikwa, on Saturday, 27 January.
Inspector Banda said the deceased was with other community members attempting to retrieve a drilling rod when the walls of the excavation suddenly collapsed, trapping him.
The accident happened at around 3 PM.
“Efforts by the community to rescue him were not successful, leading to police involvement. We then requested assistance from the Hwange Colliery Company Mine Rescue Team,” said Insp Banda.
The highly-trained team recovered Ndlovu’s remains from a depth of approximately 17 metres on Monday.
The body was reportedly in a decomposed state upon retrieval.
This incident brings the number of sudden death cases recorded in Matabeleland North Province since the start of the year to about five.
Police have urged communities to exercise extreme caution when conducting such excavations, which often lack proper shoring and safety measures.
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