HARARE, Feb 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Rescue workers retrieved 24 bodies and
eight survivors Saturday from two flooded gold mines in Zimbabwe where
officials fear dozens more illegal miners are still trapped, state television
reported.
“Eight of the trapped minors have been rescued … while 24 bodies have
been retrieved to date as rescue efforts continue at Battlefields Mine,” the
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation reported.
The two disused mines are situated near the town of Kadoma, 145 kilometres
(90 miles) southwest of the capital Harare.
The rescued received medical attention on site before being take to
hospital, but were in a stable condition, the report added.
Television footage showed some of the men, in soaked, muddy clothes, being
helped to a makeshift clinic.
In a clip posted on Twitter, one survivor told journalists that the waters
had risen to neck level, forcing them to stand for days until it receded.
On Friday the government said that between 60 and 70 “artisanal” miners
were trapped in two shafts.
It launched an appeal for $200,000 to be used “to pump out water, feeding
the bereaved families and the (rescue) teams on the ground, transportation
and burial of the victims”, local minister July Moyo said in a statement.
“Given the magnitude of this disaster, we kindly appeal to individuals,
development partners and the corporate world for assistance in cash and
kind,” he said.
Zimbabwe is in the throes of a deep economic crisis, the worst in a
decade.
Annual inflation shot to 56.90 percent up from 42.09 percent in December
2018, according to official statistics released Friday, the highest increase
in a decade. Economists say in reality prices have gone up more than three
fold in recent months.
Formal unemployment is estimated at over 90 percent and artisanal gold
mining, mostly in mines long abandoned by big corporates, is widespread
providing a source of income for many.
Artisanal mining is not banned outright in Zimbabwe, and is largely
unregulated.