Search and recovery teams are racing against difficult conditions at a collapsed illegal gold mine in Malawi’s Kasungu District where several miners are feared dead after a tunnel caved in on Monday.
Excavation works are under way at the informal mining site in Siliuka Village under Traditional Authority Chitanthamapiri as authorities attempt to recover victims who may still be trapped underground.
One body was retrieved shortly after the collapse but local leaders fear additional miners remain buried inside the tunnel.
Group Village Head Chimbaya told the state-run Malawi News Agency that the operation was focused on recovering the remaining victims and determining whether more people were caught in the collapse.
The recovery effort is being coordinated by Malawi Police Service and the Kasungu District Council, with support from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs and construction firm Mota-Engil.
Illegal and unregulated mining has become a source of livelihood for many communities across central Malawi amid rising demand for gold and limited employment opportunities.
However, the absence of proper safety measures, engineering oversight and protective equipment has exposed miners to frequent accidents.
JN/APA