Residents left in shock as earth caves in on workers at Kassa mining site, bodies recovered after frantic rescue effort
At least seven miners have been confirmed dead after a mining pit suddenly collapsed on them at Kassa community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, plunging the area into mourning.
The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday evening around 7 pm while the victims were actively engaged in mining operations at the site, according to Albert Danlami, a resident of the community.
Frantic Rescue Effort Ends in Sorrow
Danlami recounted that the pit caved in without warning, trapping the miners underground and sending waves of panic across the community as residents and fellow miners rushed to the scene to recover the trapped workers.
“People ran to the site immediately after the collapse. We tried everything to get them out, but the earth had already claimed them,” a visibly shaken Danlami reportedly said.
Some other workers also sustained injuries during the collapse, although the exact number of the wounded remains unclear.
BYM Confirms Fatalities
Rwang Tengwong, Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), confirmed the grim development to our correspondent, stating that despite desperate efforts to rescue the trapped miners, all seven were recovered dead.
Unregulated Mining Under Scrutiny
The latest disaster reignites concerns over safety standards in Nigeria’s largely unregulated artisanal mining sector, where pit collapses and fatalities have become a recurring tragedy across mineral-rich states.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
