About five persons died and seven others were injured when a mining pit collapsed in the Rukku community in Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on Saturday, January 28, 2023, when some local miners went to the mining site in the community to mine solid minerals.
It was gathered that those who escaped formed themselves into a team and rescued seven of their colleagues working at the surface, albeit with injuries, while the dead were deep inside the pit and could be rescued.
A local miner who was part of the rescue team said the incident happened about 7 pm as those on the site were working late. He added that all efforts to rescue those trapped were unsuccessful and so the rescue team abandoned the project since they could not get beyond certain points.
Chairman of Barkin-Ladi council Jok Alamba, who confirmed the incident, lamented that the deceased died while trying to eke out a living illegally. He implored the youths to embrace legitimate ways of living.
