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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief—
TWO gold mine workers died in Kwekwe yesterday after a mineshaft they were working in collapsed. Midlands province police spokesperson Inspector Joel Goko said a third miner survived the mishap and is admitted to Kwekwe District Hospital where his condition is said to be critical. “I can confirm that two miners died after the shaft they were in collapsed at Homesteak Mine in Kwekwe. A third miner was rescued while alive and was taken to Kwekwe Hospital,” said Insp Goko.

He said the names of the deceased will be released once their next of kin have been advised. When The Chronicle visited the area, police had already taken the bodies to Kwekwe District Hospital mortuary.

The owner of the mine, who only identified himself as Chika said when the mishap happened he was in Gweru. “I only arrived at the scene after the bodies had been retrieved from the shaft which we suspect caved in,” he said.

The deceased’s colleagues said the trio went underground at around 10AM on Monday. “They went underground to collect gold ore. After some time we realised that there was no communication with them. We tried calling them to no avail. We later realised that the shaft had caved in and we called the police who managed to rescue one. Unfortunately two died,” said a miner on condition of anonymity.

Recently, two miners Lypson Musandipa, 32, from Gokwe and Vincent Ngonya suffocated as they dug for gold in a mine shaft that was exposed to carbon monoxide, a dangerous gas, at Mount Morgen Mine in Lalapanzi that is owned by Berlin Chitiki.