Eight miners killed in Zambia mine collapse

A tragic mining accident claimed the lives of eight miners in Zambia on Wednesday. The victims were buried under mounds of earth that collapsed at an open-pit copper mine in Chingola, a city in Copperbelt Province.

Provincial police commissioner Peacewell Mweemba confirmed the fatalities and added that one miner remains missing. Two others survived the incident.

Tragically, six of the deceased miners were from the same family, according to state media reports.

The victims were not employed by the mining company. Instead, they were part of a group engaged in unauthorized mining activities, a common practice in Zambia’s copper-rich regions.

This latest tragedy underscores the perilous conditions faced by informal miners in Zambia.

Earlier this month, ten informal miners lost their lives in a similar incident in Mumbwa. In August, nine miners died in a quarry near Lusaka due to a massive landslide.

Last December, a devastating landslide in Chingola resulted in the deaths of over 30 informal miners who were working in tunnels.

In response to these frequent and tragic accidents, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema recently expressed deep concern, calling the number of miner fatalities “unacceptable.”

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