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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
ONE illegal gold panner died, while 12 others cheated death by a whisker when a shaft they were operating from at a disused mine collapsed at Ellsemere Farm in Silobela. Two of the surviving panners suffered serious injuries and were ferried to hospital. Unconfirmed reports say the panners were trapped for two days before they were rescued.

The disused mine is owned by Casper Tsvangirai, brother to MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Witnesses said when the shaft collapsed, there were 13 gold panners trapped underground. They said seven others managed to escape and disappeared before the rescue team arrived as they were afraid of being arrested by the police for engaging in illegal gold panning.

Zanu-PF National Assembly Member for Silobela, Cde Mtokozisi Mpofu, confirmed the incident.

He said he received a phone call on Thursday at about midnight to the effect that seven illegal gold panners had been trapped in a mine shaft at Ellsemere farm.

Cde Mpofu said he then informed the police, the provincial Mines and Mining Development officials and officials from other government departments.

“The disaster reaction team was mobilised this morning (yesterday) and we took more than five hours to scoop soil from the shaft which is about 15 metres deep using buckets until we reached the trapped panners,” he said.

Cde Mpofu said when they opened the shaft they found one panner already dead while two other were seriously injured.

“We rushed the injured to Loreto Mission Hospital. One had a broken collar bone while the other had a broken leg. They are still being monitored by doctors at the hospital. The body was also taken to the same hospital mortuary,” he said.

Cde Mpofu said the mine was one of those abandoned by foreign mining companies before independence which were now very dangerous.

He called on the government to assist with machinery and other mining equipment to enable the panners to undertake safe mining activities.

“The truth is that these panners will never leave their activity. Today (yesterday) we cordoned the area off but I tell you that very soon they will be back operating in the dangerous shafts,” he said.

Sifelani Ncube, a local villager, said the area had many shafts which had attracted more than 100 illegal gold panners.

“What I know is that the shaft collapsed two days ago. So they were trapped for two days,” said Ncube.

He said seven panners managed to escape unhurt on the first day and six of them ran away.

“Those who were rescued today had spent two days trapped underground. Six escaped and ran away leaving one who was brave to tell others that their workmates had been trapped in the disused mine shaft,” he said.

“Five were rescued in the afternoon and one was found dead.”

Efforts to get a comment from Tsvangirai were fruitless yesterday.