A mine collapse in central Zambia has resulted in at least 10 fatalities, with an undetermined number of miners still missing, according to police reports on Monday. The incident occurred in the Mumbwa district, approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles) west of the capital, Lusaka.
Charity Munganga Chanda, police commissioner for the Central Province, confirmed that nine bodies were recovered from the collapse site, while a tenth person succumbed to injuries at a local hospital. Five additional miners are currently receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained in the accident.
Rescue operations are in progress, but authorities have not yet determined the exact number of miners who were underground at the time of the collapse. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.
Collins Nzovu, a government minister and the local member of Parliament, suggested that as many as 20 miners might be missing and feared dead. However, police officials have not corroborated this figure.
The collapsed mine is believed to have been operated by informal miners, a common practice in Zambia. This incident highlights the ongoing safety concerns surrounding unofficial mining operations in the southern African nation.
The tragedy follows a similar event last year when dozens of informal miners lost their lives in landslides while working in an open-pit copper mine near Chingola, close to Zambia’s northern border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
