Police yesterday confirmed the death of eight persons after residents said scores were feared dead in the collapse of a gold mining pit in Kadauri village, Maru local government area of Zamfara State.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND, the councilor representing Maru ward, Sani Abdullahi Maru, however said only 11 people died while scores sustained injuries.
Maru said the miners were working inside the pit when it suddenly collapsed and buried them, resulting in the death of 11 people.
He said survivors were on admission at the Maru General Hospital and were responding to treatment.
Residents of Kadauri village who spoke to our reporter could not ascertain the exact number of casualties.
One of them, Yusuf Isa said bodies of 15 persons were recovered from the pit, adding, “At the time I left the scene, 15 corpses were recovered and the figure could be more than that because the search continued.”
Another resident who preferred anonymity said over 100 people died in the pit. He said several bodies were recovered from the pit, and there are others who survived the incident.
