Authorities said on Friday that eleven workers from subsistence mines in Zimbabwe’s Redwing Mine, located 270 kilometers (167.77 miles) west of the country’s capital Harare, were trapped in an underground shaft following a ground collapse.
Zimbabwe’s Mines Ministry released a statement after the event, which happened early on Thursday, suggesting that earth tremors might have been the cause of the mishap.
Metallon Corporation, which owns Redwing Mine, confirmed the incident in a separate statement. The company has deployed a rescue team to bring the trapped miners back to the surface, it added.
“The team has made several rescue attempts. However, the ground remains unstable, rendering rescue operations unsafe. Our teams are diligently assessing ground conditions to make sure the rescue operations proceed safely as soon as possible,” Metallon said.
Mining operations at Redwing have been undertaken by subsistence miners carrying out unsanctioned work since the mine was placed under corporate rescue in 2020, the company said.
