No fewer than three artisanal miners have died while 11 others were injured when a mining pit collapsed in Dan Kamfani, Anka Local Government of Zamfara State.

According to an eyewitness who also works around the area, the incident happened on Thursday around 4 pm.

The eyewitness who pleaded anonymity because of security reasons told Channels Television on Saturday that three artisanal miners were confirmed dead while 11 others were critically injured.

He said the injured are currently receiving treatment at the Anka General Hospital

“The mining collapsed a few minutes to 4 pm on Thursday, we don’t know the exact number of people inside the mining pit, but three dead bodies were recovered, and 11 others are seriously wounded.

“The three people that died are from Yar Tsabaya district of Anka local government. Up till now, we don’t have the actual figure of the people inside, and we cannot confirm the number of people because the mining pit is about 275 meters deep,” he stated.

Zamfara is rich in solid minerals which include gold, iron ore, limestone, and granite, among others.

The Federal Government and the state government had banned any forms of mining activities and ordered security agencies to enforce the ban.

Most of the artisanal miners operating in the state are operating without licences and permissions to explore minerals.

The spokesperson of the State Police Command Mohammed Shehu made this known while addressing newsmen at the police headquarters in Gusau town the state capital on Friday. (Channels TV)