Niger mining pit Collapse: Lack of equipment hinders rescue operations

Seventy-four hours after the reported collapse of a mining pit at Galadima-Kogo, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, many of the trapped miners are yet to be rescued due to what the authorities attributed to lack of the appropriate equipment to do the job. Recall that a mining pit operated by the African Minerals […]

Seventy-four hours after the reported collapse of a mining pit at Galadima-Kogo, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, many of the trapped miners are yet to be rescued due to what the authorities attributed to lack of the appropriate equipment to do the job.

Recall that a mining pit operated by the African Minerals and Logistics Limited collapsed on Tuesday, trapping an estimated 60 labourers.

The pit is said to be about 400 meters deep and lying between mountains.

Our correspondent gathered that the victims were locals from Pandogari and other communities.

Among the victims yet to be rescued is a man with two wives and six children. 

Unconfirmed report emerged that some of the trapped victims were still alive. Sources said their voices could be heard on Wednesday beneath the deep pit but lack of equipment to lift the rubbles to enable them come out were not readily available.

• 6 rescued, 14 still trapped 2 days after mining pit collapsed in Niger
• One killed, 30 trapped as mining pit collapses in Niger

Local sources told Daily Trust that although hope had not been lost, chances of the trapped victims surviving are narrowing, adding that urgent intervention was needed.

They added that those who were rescued were brought out unconscious but they did not know their current health status.

One of the residents who didn’t want his name mentioned said his elder sister’s husband, a father of six, was among those still trapped in the pit.

“It has been very traumatic for families of those still trapped in the pit. My elder sister’s husband is among those trapped and he is yet to be rescued. They are just there crying. Even some of those that were rescued were unconscious,” he said.

But giving an update on the incident, the police public relations officer, Niger State command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said lack of equipment and heavy rumbles were hindering the rescue operation.

“On June 3, 2024 at 1325hrs, there was a landslide on the African Minerals Mining site at Galadima district via Erena, Shiroro Local Government Area, which trapped 20 persons.

“The rescue operation has been delayed due to lack of equipment from the site and the heavy rumbles from the rock. However, more equipment have been brought to aid the rescue operation,” he noted in a statement.

Abiodun stated that the site engineer confirmed that 20 persons were trapped under the rock but six persons had been rescued.

But there have been conflicting figures from state government agencies and the police on the number of people trapped in the pit and those that have been rescued.

While the Niger State Emergency Management Agency said 30 people were trapped, seven were rescued and one person was confirmed dead, the state Ministry of Mineral Resources, in a statement, also noted that 20 people were in the pit but six were rescued, saying that 14 people were still trapped.

The director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Abdullah Baba Arah, confirmed that the mining site was managed by the African Minerals and Logistics Limited.

“The pit collapsed as a result of the impact of rains, which softened the soil,” he explained.

Alhaji Arah said the seven people who were rescued were severely injured, adding, “The rescuers had to run for their lives as the mine kept caving in.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the Niger State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, in a statement through its Director of Media and Strategy, Habibu Abubakar Wushishi, said rescue operations were hindered by insecurity in the area, as well as its terrain.

The ministry also placed the number of trapped victims at 30, saying the ministry, in collaboration with other agencies and stakeholders, was doing its best to rescue the trapped miners.

It stated: “Rescue efforts are still on despite the difficult terrain, insecurity in the area and the possibility of more collapse if the exercise is not done professionally and cautiously.

“The ministry appeals for patience, understanding and prayers for the successful rescue of these innocent artisanal miners.”

The permanent secretary, Ministry of Mineral Resources, Alhaji Yunusa Mohammed Nahauni, blamed the mining company for the collapse. He said that despite an order by the state government banning mining activities in the state due to security concerns, the company was still operating.

He emphasised the need for companies to comply with mining principles and operational guidelines so as to save lives.

“The Niger State Ministry of Mineral Resources, in collaboration with relevant authorities and rescue teams, is working tirelessly to ensure the safe rescue of the remaining trapped individuals,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, said equipment and professionals had been mobilised to ensure success in the rescue operations.

In another development, a youth organisation, Lakpma Youth Forum, has threatened to take legal action against the company operating the mining site, attributing the incident to negligence.

Abdullahi Suleiman Erena, the spokesperson of the forum, said safety standards and regards for human life and dignity had been a source of concern to them, adding, “Our fears have been confirmed. We are calling on Africa Minerals and Logistics Company Ltd, the operators of the ill-fated death pit called a mine, to expedite action to ensure the rescue of all the trapped miners in safe and healthy conditions, otherwise we will be left with no option but to take legal action against the company and its promoters.

“We call on the government at all levels to come to the rescue of these helpless miners trapped in this pit with immediate effect. The Federal Ministry of Mines must also take punitive measures against the company to ensure justice for the victims and avoid reoccurrence.

“We also call on all men of conscience to condemn the action of the African Minerals and Logistics Company Ltd for putting the lives of these young men at such a monumental risk, and demand justice for the victims of these acts of negligence,” he said.

Senate asks FG to adopt stiff regulations on mining

The Senate on Thursday asked the federal government to come up with strict safety measures and regulations on mining activities in the country in line with international best practices.

The Red Chamber also urged the federal government to deploy adequate security apparatus to the mining communities to prevent further incursion and intrusion by informal miners.

The resolutions followed a motion on the urgent need to address the incident of rockslide that buried over 30 informal miners alive at a gold mining site in Farin Doki community of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, sponsored by Senator Musa Mohammed Sani (APC, Niger East).

The Senate also urged the National Emergency Management Agency and other relevant agencies of the government to expedite action on the recovery of the remains of the deceased.

It also mandated its committee on solid minerals to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the site to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the rockslide and accelerate the passage of the mining bill currently before the Senate.

Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North) and other senators who made contributions, asked the federal government to deploy a holistic legislation that would guide mining activities in the country.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin, who presided over plenary said, “This intensifies the need for the government to strengthen the regulation of the solid mineral sector. We all know that the government is doing very well in this regard.

“We need to be up and doing, not only the Ministry of Solid Minerals but all of us, including the Senate, in trying to see how our solid minerals sector can be operated in line with international best practices.” 

Also, the House of Representatives called for urgent rescue of the miners trapped at Galadiman-Kogo.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Rep Ismail Modibo (APC-Niger) during plenary on Thursday.

Presenting his motion, Modibo said all efforts to rescue the victims had so far proved abortive, necessitating an immediate intervention by the federal government and the state.

Adopting the motion, the House called on the Ministry of Solid Minerals to deploy more emergency response specialists to the mining site without delay for effective rescue operations.