Police begin investigations into Plateau mine tragedy
The police command in Plateau State has said rock, soil and other mineral samples have been collected for investigation into the Kampani Zurak mine tragedy. Thirty-eight miners were reported killed in the tragedy that struck at the mining site in Wase Local Government Area on Wednesday. The police said the collection of the samples was […]
nigeria police force
The police command in Plateau State has said rock, soil and other mineral samples have been collected for investigation into the Kampani Zurak mine tragedy.
Thirty-eight miners were reported killed in the tragedy that struck at the mining site in Wase Local Government Area on Wednesday.
The police said the collection of the samples was meant to carry out a proper investigation to unravel the cause of the miners’ deaths.
Miners and residents in the affected community had on Wednesday told Daily Trust that the victims were killed by a carbon monoxide leak when they were digging for minerals underground.
In a statement by the spokesperson of the state command on Thursday, SP Alabo Alfred said, “samples of rock, soil, and minerals were collected for further analysis and investigation.
“There was no sign of explosion, nor any explosive component at the scene.”
The command’s spokesperson, who confirmed 37 people were suffocated to death and 26 others hospitalised as a result of gas inhalation, said the commissioner of police has deployed the command’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Unit, also known as the “Anti-Bomb Squad”, to conduct an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the incident and put modalities in place to prevent future occurrences.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the miners were affected due to a sudden discharge of Lead Oxide and other associated gases like Sulfur and Carbon Monoxide, which are toxic and poisonous to humans, particularly in a confined or poorly ventilated environment.
“The corpses of the deceased victims have been released to their families for burial according to their religious practices,“ Alfred added.