At least 18 people were killed when a large boulder collapsed on an illegal mine in northern Nigeria following heavy rains, while rescue workers searched for dozens more missing, local sources told AFP.
The boulder collapsed on Thursday on the mine in Zamfara State, near the village of Kadori in the Maru area, according to the sources.
"We were able to recover 18 bodies from the mine, and five other survivors were injured with varying degrees of severity," said Sani Lawali, a miner from Kadori village.
Lawali, who participated in the rescue operation, added that 12 other miners were still trapped inside, and their fate remains unknown.
He explained that "the operation is slow and arduous, as we cut through the rocks with our hands to reach the mine."
According to Lawali, the rescue workers, most of whom are artisanal miners, asked a construction company working on a nearby road to provide them with a bulldozer to speed up the work, but they have yet to receive a response.
Abu Bakr Nabobi, a local official, confirmed that "18 bodies were found in the mine shaft," including 15 from the neighboring villages of Maiwanuga and Damaga.
He added that "the rescue workers are exhausted and are using primitive tools to dig."
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