Two months after a mining accident in Galadima-Kogo community of Shiroro Local Government Area in Niger state, the bodies of four trapped miners have been recovered. The incident, which occurred on June 3rd, initially claimed the lives of 20 people, with 14 more said to be still trapped underground at the time.
Alhaji Umaru Aliyu, the Village Head of Galadima-Kogo, reported that the four bodies were recovered on Wednesday and deposited at the IBB Specialist Hospital mortuary in Minna.
He said, “The dead bodies of the remaining four persons that were trapped inside the pit have been recovered and their bodies have been deposited in the mortuary in Minna.
“They are two Muslims and two Christians, among the Christian victims, one is from Nasarawa state and one from Zumba (Shiroro LG).
“The one from Nasarawa; his family have demanded that his body be taken to Nasarawa for burial, while the remaining Christian and the two Muslims will be buried in Minna on Friday,” Aliyu told the news agency.
As reported earlier, the collapse was believed to have been caused by torrential rains that softened the soil, leading to the pit caving in. Following the incident, the Niger State Police Commissioner, Shawulu Danmamman, visited the site and found that the mining operations were being conducted without proper safety measures or regard for the welfare of the labourers.
