DISASTER AT ZIM GOLD MINE

ZIMBABWEAN rescuers pulled the bodies of at least 22 illegal gold miners out of shafts west of Harare that were flooded earlier last week, and rescued eight more alive, officials and witnesses said on Saturday. The accident involving about 70 miners in Battlefields, 175km west of the capital, happened on Tuesday night and has shone a light on the risks run by illegal gold miners, who last year contributed a large part of Zimbabwe’s record 33-ton bullion output. The government has declared the incident a disaster. Henrietta Rushwaya, the chief executive of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation, which represents small-scale miners, said at least 22 bodies had been identified in the shafts and tunnels. “We hope we will be able to retrieve all of the people in time,” Rushwaya said. A witness saw rescuers pulling out at least six bodies in white and blue body bags that were taken to a tent for identification. Tapererwa Paswavaviri, the government’s deputy chief mining engineer, told reporters at the scene that eight miners had been rescued. Battlefields and surrounding areas are rich in gold deposits and popular with artisanal miners. | Reuters