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More than a dozen killed in gold mine in Niger collapsed | Mining Issues

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At least 18 people have been killed and seven others injured in southern Niger after a skilled mine collapsed, the local mayor said.

At least 18 people have been killed when a gold mine collapsed in southern Niger near the Nigerian border, the mayor said.

“The temporary death toll is 18, which we buried this morning,” Adamou Gueraou, the mayor of Dan-Issa, told AFP on Monday.

“There were also seven people who were hospitalized after being injured,” he said, adding that Nigerians were among the injured.

The accident happened on Sunday when technical wells fell at the Garin-Liman mine in Maradi area, he said.

“Rescue work is still ongoing, there may be bodies trapped under the pits,” said a local source.

The Garin-Liman mines were discovered a few months ago, but thousands of miners flocked to the area.

Over the years, gold mines in Niger have attracted explorers, especially in the western part of the Tillaberi, where now terrorist attacks have taken place, as well as along the northern Libyan border.

Accidents occurring at the site are frequent due to the instability of the soil and the ancient methods used by miners, according to government officials.

Many gold mines were closed in 2017 as part of a government effort to modernize the project.

Since 2004, Niger has owned only one industrial mine in Samira in the Tillaberi region.



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