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Four people have died and one survived after an alleged illegal mining operation in a deep pit in Kalali Resettlement Scheme in Senior Chief Kalasamukoso’s area of Milenge District, Luapula Province.
Luapula Province Permanent Secretary, Prudence Chinama-Kangwa, said experts at the scene had confirmed the death of four people, while one survivor was rescued from the mine.
In a statement issued by Luapula Provincial Administration Principal Public Relations Officer Emmanuel Maseko on Sunday, Chinama-Kangwa said the five were allegedly engaged in illegal mining inside an approximately 20-metre-deep pit with tunnels when the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon.
Preliminary findings indicate that the victims may have died from suffocation caused by dangerously low oxygen levels inside the pit.
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The miners had also taken a generator and water pump underground, the statement said.
Chinama-Kangwa, who visited Samfya District Hospital where the survivor was receiving treatment, said the survivor remained disoriented and in shock.
“Experts have since successfully retrieved all four bodies and confirmed that there are no other victims remaining in the pit,” she said.
Chinama-Kangwa warned members of the public against engaging in illegal and unsafe mining practices and urged those involved in illegal mining to formalise their operations and comply with established safety procedures.
She said the government could not continue losing lives in preventable mining accidents.
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