Five people were killed and seven others were injured after a mining hole fell on them in the Rukku community of Plateau State's Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area In Nigeria.
On Saturday, January 28, 2023, a group of local miners went to a mining location in the neighbourhood to mine solid minerals.
The local miners were reportedly mining minerals deposited several metres beneath the earth's surface when the pit unexpectedly collapsed on them, prompting other miners at the site to cease their work in order to be rescued.
According to the Nigerian Tribune, five miners perished because they were too deep into the pit to be retrieved, while seven others were found alive but with varying degrees of injuries.
A local miner who was part of the rescue team said that the tragic event occurred about 7:00 p.m. when employees on the site were working late into the night and that all efforts to rescue those trapped in the mining pit were futile.
According to him, the rescue crew eventually gave up hope of rescuing them when they couldn't reach the place where they were trapped beneath the ground.
Hon. Jok Alamba, chairman of the Barakin-Ladi local government district, acknowledged the occurrence and expressed horror, noting that the teenagers perished while trying to make a livelihood illegally.
Alamba urged the local government's youth to embrace legitimate ways of life and avoid criminal activities that may ruin them.