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, National Daily Newspaper gathered.
The Secretary of the Plateau Indigenous Miners Association, Barkin Ladi LGA, Pam Daniel, disclosed this in an interview with the Press,in Jos on Sunday, during an event organised for artisanal miners and farmers which 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 a danger to the lives of the people particularly the youths in the council area.
He appealed to the government to intervene in the situation while calling for more sensitization of the people to curb the ugly trend.
Daniel said, “From time to time, we do have mining sites collapsing in Barkin 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.
We did not know how many persons were inside the mining site when it collapsed, a register was later opened in the community 33 persons were found to be missing.
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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.
Many children no longer go to school in Barkin Ladi communities because of mining, National Daily Newspaper gathered .