Rescue operation underway in Ethiopia to free miners trapped in a cave

Rescue efforts are under way in a remote village in northern Ethiopia where more than 20 artisanal miners are trapped inside a cave.

It’s been three days since a narrow cave collapsed on the miners in the Delanta district.

Local officials are uncertain about the exact number of the trapped miners, who were looking for precious opal gemstones.

Local authorities have told the BBC that the area’s steep landscape has complicated their rescue efforts.

Hundreds of locals are trying to dig openings for the miners, as the village’s landscape has made it difficult to get support from machines.

Rescue attempts have so far been unsuccessful, but the authorities remain hopeful of finding survivors.

The officials said that in a previous incident, a miner was found alive after he was buried inside the cave for seven days.