An unidentified number of persons have been confirmed dead following a suspected toxic gas leakage at a mining site in Company Zurak, Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State, sparking renewed concerns over unsafe mining practices and regulation in the area.
Shafi Sambo, the Wase Youth Leader, claimed that as the region’s youth leader, he was notified of the incident via early-morning phone call.
“It happened at a mining site in Company Zurak, Wase Local Government. We got information that the miners dug deep into the ground and were exposed to a gas that killed 37 of them instantly,” Sambo said in a phone interview.
He said a number of other miners were saved alive and taken to local hospitals for immediate medical care, but as of this writing, it was unknown how many of them survived.
According to Sambo, a Chinese-owned mining company operating in the region was paying the young people to mine zinc. It took some time to confirm the type of mineral being mined.
Attempts to get the state government to provide an official response failed.
At the time of publishing this article, numerous calls to Hamisu Anani, the chairman of the Local Government, and Peter Gwom, the Plateau State Commissioner for Environment, had not been answered.
Concern over artisanal and corporately supported mining operations has been rekindled by the incident, particularly in remote areas where emergency preparedness, environmental monitoring, and safety regulations are frequently lacking.
Residents are now urging the Plateau State Government and pertinent federal agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the occurrence, guarantee responsibility, and implement more stringent safety standards in order to stop more fatalities.
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