9 dead, 4 missing and 21 survivors in Zimbabwe mine disaster

As of now, the tragic collapse of a shaft at Bayhorse Gold Mine in Chakari, Chegutu district, has resulted in the confirmed deaths of nine mine workers.

A joint search and rescue operation, at the time of this report, has successfully retrieved four bodies to the surface. However, efforts to recover the remaining five bodies have been hindered by soft ground and a large rock boulder blocking access to the area where the miners are trapped.

The number of fatalities is expected to increase as four miners remain unaccounted for. Initial reports suggested that there were between 40 and 44 miners underground when the accident occurred, but it was later confirmed that there were 34 individuals at the time of the incident.

Mines Deputy Minister Polite Kambamura visited the accident site on Saturday and was briefed that 34 employees had entered the gold mine before the shaft collapsed. He noted that the search and rescue mission faced challenges due to the unstable ground, which continued to collapse.

The mine is reportedly owned by an individual named T. Sigauke. Efforts to obtain official figures regarding fatalities, missing persons, and survivors from the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) national director, Nathan Nkomo, and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, were unsuccessful as of the time of this report.