Suspected carbon-monoxide leak kills at least 30 miners in Plateau State
Many mourners came to the funeral prayers and burial of the miners, who were aged between 20 and 40
At least 33 miners have died in a suspected carbon-monoxide leak at a lead and zinc mine in Plateau state, witnesses said.
According to a BBC report, the
tragedy is believed to have happened just before sunrise at a site outside the town of Wase run by the mining company Solid Unity Nigeria Ltd.
Toxic gas is believed to have built up underground in poorly ventilated tunnels, causing the workers to collapse just before the end of their night shift.
They were discovered by those reporting to work in the morning ; more than 20 other miners were rescued and rushed to hospital for treatment.
Security personnel have sealed off the mine, which is about 200km south-east of the state capital, Jos, as investigations get under way to find out the cause of the leak.
State officials are yet to visit the area and response efforts have reportedly been slow because of security concerns – armed criminal gangs, known locally as “bandits”, have been active there in recent years.
Safiyanu Haruna, one of the miners who found the bodies at the start of his shift, told the BBC that some of the miners who were underground survived and were taken to a hospital in Wase for treatment.
