Mine collapse kills 2 in Kwekwe… One gold panner survives, escapes from hospital

Police authorities have said they are investigating the deaths of two artisanal miners who were killed in a shaft collapse which occurred in Kwekwe amid reports that the third gold panner who survived with minor injuries, puzzlingly escaped from a government medical referral institution where he was being hospitalised.

There are also fears that another artisanal miner could still be trapped inside the horror shaft located in Mbizo 15 neighborhood.

Midlands provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Joel Goko, said the police was also not sure of the motives haboured by the third miner who was rescued from the horror shaft with minor injuries and was rushed to Kwekwe General Hospital but inexplicably disappeared from the district’s biggest medical referral institution.

“Police are investigating the death of two gold panners who died after a shaft collapsed on Tuesday morning in Mbizo 15. We are not yet sure of the motive behind him running away, we will share more information as investigations unfold,” Inspector Goko told state media Tuesday.

The shaft is reportedly located within residential stands and sources say the syndicate usually operates as a group of four. This has resulted in amplified suspicion that another member of the allegedly four-member gang could still be trapped underground.

The gold-rich Midlands mining town of Kwekwe is home to artisanal miners who labor in the various tributes and claims in search of the precious metal.

state media
Additional Reporting: Zwnews