Two miners were killed and several others are believed missing after an illegal gold mine collapsed in northern Tanzania, the mining ministry said Friday. At least 18 miners were illegally digging for gold in the town of Buhemba near Lake Victoria on Monday. "The shaft collapsed, burying all of them, but emergency services managed to extract 13 of them," said a statement from the ministry of mines and energy. Another two were found dead and brought to the surface on Tuesday.
A search was still underway Friday in a bid to rescue at least three others believed to be trapped underground. However, authorities were unsure exactly how many were missing. Tanzania is the fourth-largest African producer of gold, one of the country's main sources of foreign currency. The collapse of mine shafts is frequent, with miners often lacking the tools and materials considered necessary to operate safely.
At the end of January, 15 miners were saved after being stuck underground for at least two days when their makeshift gold mine collapsed. In November 2015, five miners were found alive after spending 41 days 100 metres underground after an infall at a mine near the town of Shinyanga in the northwest.
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