Someone died when a mine fell in Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State, killing at least 13. The terrible thing happened on Saturday, November 9, 2024, while a group of people, mostly young people, were working at the site. People who were trapped under the rubble died in the collapse. On Monday, officials confirmed the number of deaths.
The mine was located in an area that is on the border of Bassa, Jos South, and Jos North LGAs. Officials in the area, such as Dr. Joshua Riti, Chairman of the Bassa LGA, have expressed great sadness over the death. Dr. Riti said that seven of the deaths were from Bassa LGA, which made the tragedy even more personal for the community.
Riti told the family that most of the deaths were young people, most of them between the ages of 18 and 30, who had gone into mining to make money. “These young people were just trying to find a way to stay alive because the country is having a hard time with the economy,” he said. “They did something useful with their energy, but unfortunately, they died too soon.”
He also sent his deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, recognizing that the whole community must be in a lot of pain and sadness because of what happened. To be honest, it was a scary reminder of the dangers that come with underground mining, which still hurts many communities in the area.
The fall happened in a place where illegal mining is common. This kind of thing happens all the time in Plateau State and other parts of Nigeria, where mining is common without following safety rules. For miners who are desperate to find work in an economy with few jobs, they often do risky, unregulated mining activities that put their safety at great risk.
Even though mining is against the law and not allowed, it is a very important way for many people in the area, especially young people, to make money. Mining is one of the few ways for many people to make a living, even though it is very dangerous. In this sad case, the risk turned out to be deadly.
The local government has promised to look into what happened and make sure that those guilty for the illegal mining are held responsible. As a result of this accident, the community has called for more people to know how dangerous illegal mining is and for stricter rules to stop more people from dying.
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