8 survivors pulled from Zimbabwe mine
KADOMA, Zimbabwe — Eight subsistence miners who were trapped underground for several days after heavy flooding in Zimbabwe have been rescued, though dozens of their co-workers are still missing and feared dead.
Rescuers on Saturday pulled the exhausted, muddied survivors from the ground and took them to a tent for medical treatment.
Dozens of the small-scale gold miners were caught underground Tuesday on the outskirts of Kadoma, west Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, when a dam wall collapsed and water rushed into the mining tunnels.
It is unclear how many miners remain trapped, but the government has said between 60 and 70 people were working underground at the time of the accident. The government has declared it a national disaster.
Uniformed police, government workmen and artisanal miners are working together in the retrieval operation using a hand-powered winch and ropes.
At least 20 bodies had been identified underground, while the search for more bodies continued, said Henrietta Rushwaya, the leader of Zimbabwe’s association of small-scale miners.
A government statement Friday said that $200,000 is needed to complete the operation. Civil Protection Unit chief Cecilia Chitiyo told reporters Saturday that “well-wishers” should donate body bags, masks, gloves, diesel fuel and other needed items.