Five killed in Tanzanian abandoned gold mine

Five illegal miners were killed and six others severely injured in an abandoned gold mine in western Tanzania's district of Nzega, authorities said Friday.

John Bwire, Tabora Regional Police Commander confirmed the incident, saying the incident happened when an abandoned mine collapsed on Thursday at around 1 p.m. local time.

He said that the accident occurred when illegal miners sneaked into the abandoned mine. The mine was abandoned four years ago and the government had already banned mining activities in the area for security reasons.

Godfrey Ngupulla, Nzega District Commissioner said the miners were killed after a heap of rock full of stones collapsed and buried them when they were busy with mining activities inside the mine.

The collapsed mine was being used by Resolute mining company, which ended its operations in Nzega district, Tabora region, following the expiry of the mine's lifespan in 2012.

According to the official, the Tanzanian government banned mining activities in the area for safety reasons, though there are reports that some miners have been secretly getting into the area.

"This is what happened, whereby five died and six others survived the accident and were rushed to Nzega District Hospital for treatments," he said. Endit