At least 38 lead miners have been killed in a gas explosion at a mine in Plateau State, central Nigeria. Local officials reported that several others were injured in the blast on Wednesday (February 18).
Alhaji Aliyu Adamu Idris, the ruler of Plateau State, told the French news agency AFP that 38 people were killed and 27 injured in the explosion at the Kampanin Zurak mine in Bashar district.
He stated, “So far, the deaths of 38 people in the mine’s gas explosion have been confirmed, and approximately 27 others have been sent to the hospital.”
Ibrahim Dattijo Sani, a miner working in a nearby mine, told AFP that all the victims were working in underground shafts inside the mine. The explosion occurred between 7:30 AM and 8:00 AM local time.
In a telephone interview with AFP, Sani said, “We were near the mine site. People were inside the mine shafts. Suddenly, gas exploded there.”
This West African nation has experienced similar fatal mining accidents in the past.
Last September, a devastating rockfall occurred at an illegal mine in Zamfara State, in the northwest, during heavy rains. At least 18 people were killed in that accident.
Source: AFP.
