No fewer than 33 persons have been killed in Plateau State as a result of collapsed mining sites in some communities within the past two months.
The Secretary of the Plateau Indigenous Miners Association, Barkin Ladi LGA, Pam Daniel, disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH in Jos on Sunday during an event organised for artisanal miners and farmers held in the council area.
Daniel described the frequent collapse of mining sites in Barkin Ladi communities as worrisome, noting that the situation was posing danger to the lives of the people, particularly the youth in the council area.
He said, “From time to time, we do have mining sites collapsing in Barkin Ladi communities because mining activities have become part of the livelihood of the people in this area. Just some weeks back in August, a mining site collapsed in a Hwol Gassa community.
“Seven persons were pulled out dead from the mining site while three persons were injured and taken to the hospital. Because we did not know how many persons were inside the mining site when it collapsed, a register was later opened in the community if there were any missing persons and a total of 33 persons were found to be missing. From that time till date, we have not seen those people because they were suspected to have been buried underneath the collapsed mining site. Because some of these things happen in rural communities, they are not reported but that is the situation we have found ourselves in,” Daniel said.
He also lamented that the growing mining activities in the council area were taking children’s attention from school.
“Many children no longer go to school in Barkin Ladi communities because of mining. This is not good for the growth and development of our society and every year, we hear of the huge amount of money budgeted for mining but we, the artisanal miners, don’t benefit from it. That is why we are calling on the government to assist us. They can assist us with the necessary equipment so as to minimise the dangers inherent in mining operations.”
