APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Four days of search effort of missing miners at an Opal mining site in Delanta, South Wollo in Amhara region of Ethiopia, does not seem to be yielding results. No miner recovered yet.
The South Wollo Zone Government Communication on Monday announced that more than 20 opal miners went missing after the cave where they had been mining collapsed. Some sources say the number of miners is unknown.
The accident happened last Thursday ( February 8, 2023) Delanta district, 018 Alehuat locality.
The area where the accident happened is said to be inconvenient to use excavators due to the cliff terrain. Authorities are using manpower. So far only fifty meters of land to the closet entrance is dug, according to sources. The cave is said to be 750 meters long.
According to information reaching APA, over 500 people are deployed for the rescue work to the location. However, the way to the entrance of the cave could only accommodate ten people at a time – part of the reason that complicated the search effort.
The miners have legal permission to work on the site and eight of them are said to be members of Worq Washa Crystals and Wealthy Stones Mining Associations. The miners are licensed under the traditions minors category, APA has learned.
The prospect of finding miners alive after four days under a collapsed mining site is noticeably worrisome to many.
MG/abj/APA