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2 women killed in Matobo mine pit collapse
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Two women died on Saturday afternoon after a disused mining pit collapsed on them in the Nugget mining area of Matobo District while they were allegedly scavenging for gold remnants.
The fatal incident occurred at around 2PM and involved four women who were reportedly employed at a local mine. According to witnesses, the group had allegedly gone to the abandoned pit on their day off in search of leftover gold deposits.
The deceased were identified as Nonmatter Mlilo and Nomalanga Mabhena.
Two other women, identified as Alice and Thandolwenkosi Mlilo, who is Nonmatter's sister, survived the collapse and were rushed to hospital for treatment before being discharged.
Witnesses who spoke anonymously said the women had earlier been warned against entering the abandoned pit because of unstable ground conditions and because the area was prohibited.
"I personally warned them and chased them away from the hole because it is not safe and they were not authorised to be there," said one witness believed to be a senior mining official in the area.
However, the women reportedly returned to the site shortly afterwards in an attempt to recover traces of gold.
"After that encounter, I took my medication and went to rest, only to be awakened by screams and women wailing for help from the direction of the pit," the witness said.
The collapse triggered a frantic rescue effort involving mine workers, who used an excavator to clear rubble while others dug with shovels and their bare hands in a desperate attempt to reach the trapped women.
The rescue operation reportedly lasted close to an hour.
Two women were eventually pulled out alive and taken to hospital, while the bodies of the other two were later retrieved from beneath the collapsed earth and pronounced dead at the scene.
The tragedy has once again highlighted the dangers associated with illegal gold scavenging activities at abandoned or unstable mining sites, where pit collapses remain a persistent hazard.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police had not commented on the incident by the time of publication.
The fatal incident occurred at around 2PM and involved four women who were reportedly employed at a local mine. According to witnesses, the group had allegedly gone to the abandoned pit on their day off in search of leftover gold deposits.
The deceased were identified as Nonmatter Mlilo and Nomalanga Mabhena.
Two other women, identified as Alice and Thandolwenkosi Mlilo, who is Nonmatter's sister, survived the collapse and were rushed to hospital for treatment before being discharged.
Witnesses who spoke anonymously said the women had earlier been warned against entering the abandoned pit because of unstable ground conditions and because the area was prohibited.
"I personally warned them and chased them away from the hole because it is not safe and they were not authorised to be there," said one witness believed to be a senior mining official in the area.
However, the women reportedly returned to the site shortly afterwards in an attempt to recover traces of gold.
"After that encounter, I took my medication and went to rest, only to be awakened by screams and women wailing for help from the direction of the pit," the witness said.
The collapse triggered a frantic rescue effort involving mine workers, who used an excavator to clear rubble while others dug with shovels and their bare hands in a desperate attempt to reach the trapped women.
The rescue operation reportedly lasted close to an hour.
Two women were eventually pulled out alive and taken to hospital, while the bodies of the other two were later retrieved from beneath the collapsed earth and pronounced dead at the scene.
The tragedy has once again highlighted the dangers associated with illegal gold scavenging activities at abandoned or unstable mining sites, where pit collapses remain a persistent hazard.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police had not commented on the incident by the time of publication.
Source - The Chronicle
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