Almost 70 Miners Still Unaccounted for in Northern Tanzania Mine Disaster

Nearly 70 people are still unaccounted for Monday, as hope of finding the small-scale miners buried inside pits in Manyara Region northern part of the country, 70km from Arusha town after Sunday’s heavy downpour began to fade.

Twenty-four hours after the tragedy occurred, only a dozen people had been pulled out alive and taken to hospital on Monday. When the rains flooded several Tanzanite-mining pits on Sunday night, more than 160 people were at work.

Anxious relatives huddled around the sunken areas, praying and holding to dwindling hope of finding their loved ones alive, in one of the worst incidents in recent Tanzanian history.

Lack of proper rescue equipment and sometimes diesel hampered the operation.

President Jakaya Kikwete expressed shock at the incident as the government indefinitely suspended all mining activities in the area to for the rescue efforts to be intensified.

He said he had been saddened by the loss of life and wished quick recovery to the survivors. He was still hopeful that more miners would be found alive.

The President sent a message of condolence to the bereaved families, as he called for the speeding up of the rescue efforts to reach those still trapped underground.

Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda had earlier dispatched the ministers of Energy and Minerals, Home Affairs and Disaster Management, William Ngeleja, Laurence Masha and Philip Marmo respectively to the affected area to assess the situation and coordinate the rescue operation.

The three ministers visited the site and Mr Ngeleja announced the suspension of mining activities until further notice.

“This is a terrible calamity for the nation. There will be no mining until rescue efforts and other issues are cleared,” said Mr Ngeleja.

Minister Marmo said that initially, 67 people were unaccounted for. However, he feared that the number could be higher ‘as some miners always sneak into the pits’.

The government was awaiting recommendations of the disaster committee at the site to be able to determine the emergency relief required by the affected families.

The rare gemstone (tanzanite) generates between $100 million and $300m in revenue annually.

Source African Press Agency

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