Three bodies of dead miners retrieved in Mererani

Three bodies of miners who died over the weekend after a mine collapsed in Mererani, Manyara Region have been recovered.

Dominick Chidudu, Khalid Massawe and Said Mgosi went missing and where feared dead after a mine belonging to Tanzanite One Company caved in. According to Tanzanite One Acting Director Modest Apolinary, the deceased were not employed by the firm and had entered the mine illegally, adding that they entered the pit last Monday and began digging for the gemstones.

It is believed after the miners had finished what they were doing they had trouble finding the exit and that is when the mine collapsed. 

“They entered the mine on March 7 without being permitted and that’s when disaster struck,” said Apolinary. He added that the company had closed more than 100 entries into the mine, but the deceased still managed to find their way in.

In October last year, five gold miners in  North Shinyanga  were miraculously rescued after spending 41 days trapped in a mine pit, surviving on cockroaches and frogs.

The miners were among a group of around 20 that were in a pit when a shaft they were working on collapsed on October 5 last year.

The artisanal miners were digging for gold when the shaft collapsed behind them, trapping them deep underground.