22 Miners Feared Dead After Mining Pit Collapse in Adamawa-Taraba Border Region.

After a mining pit collapsed at an illegal mining site inside a national game reserve that spans the Gashaka Local Government Area in Taraba State and the Toungo Local Government Area in Adamawa State, at least 22 miners are thought dead.

Many of the dead were from Jamtare town in Gashaka LGA, according to Adamu Jamtare, a miner from Gashaka.

In the Buffa zone of the Gashaka-Gumti National Park, which includes portions of both Gashaka and Toungo, they were engaged in gold mining.

As per DailyTrust, he stated, “All 22 miners trapped in the pit are presumed dead.”

Although he was unsure of the precise number of miners remaining buried, Engineer Suleiman Toungo, Chairman of Toungo LGA, acknowledged that five miners had been found dead.

According to him, the incident happened over a month ago and involved miners from different regions of Nigeria, including Zamfara and Adamawa.

Even with rangers patrolling the region, illicit mining persisted, frequently at night in secret.

“So far, five bodies have been recovered,” he stated. Numerous people have died as a result of uncontrolled mining operations in the National Game Reserve, which is well-known for its mineral resources.

Speaking anonymously, a local of Tila village revealed that some 70 miners were killed in similar instances last year, although these crimes are still mostly undocumented.

Two recent allegations of fatalities from pit collapses were confirmed by Adamawa Police Public Relations Officer SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje.

According to him, there were two verified deaths and four injuries among the six miners involved in one event, while four workers died in another.

According to SP Nguroje, the police are working with the officials of Gumti National Park to capture the illegal miners who are participating.