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Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
ONE of the four illegal gold panners rescued from a tunnel that caved in at the disused Old Motapa Mine in Bubi District, Matabeleland North Province, has died.
Five bodies were retrieved from the collapsed tunnel last Friday.
The panner who died at the weekend was among the four that were rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital after being rescued.
Bubi Rural District Council chief executive, Mr Patson Mlilo, confirmed the death of the sixth person.
He said police were still in the process of informing the victims’ next of kin.
Mr Mlilo said rescue operations that started at around 3PM on Friday ended at the weekend after it was established that all the trapped bodies had been retrieved.
He said nine illegal panners were trapped when the tunnel caved in and five of them died while four others were rescued.
One of the four that were rescued and rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital later died.
When the four were rescued, they told the police that they suspected 15 or more panners had been trapped.
National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said the names of the deceased would be released after their relatives have been informed.
— @winnie_masara
derick.khumalo