ARUSHA, Tanzania — Rescue workers saved three miners from the depths of a collapsed gold-mining pit in northwestern Tanzania but at least nine others are still trapped, officials said Monday.
The mine collapsed Sunday near the southern edge of Lake Victoria, 50 miles west of the town of Mwanza. A regional commissioner in Mwanza, James Nsekela, said Monday that the path inside the pit was blocked by stones, water and sand and that rescuers lacked sufficient tools and manpower.
"We're trying to clear the way to reach other miners feared dead or trapped down the tunnel," he said.
He said 12 families had reported relatives missing. But illegal miners often enter small mines without registering their names, so the death toll could be higher.
Nsekela said officials did not know what caused the collapse. Mine collapses in Tanzania are often caused by the improper use of dynamite by small-scale miners.
Tanzania is Africa's third largest producer of gold, behind South Africa and Ghana.
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Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The mine collapsed Sunday near the southern edge of Lake Victoria, 50 miles west of the town of Mwanza. A regional commissioner in Mwanza, James Nsekela, said Monday that the path inside the pit was blocked by stones, water and sand and that rescuers lacked sufficient tools and manpower.
"We're trying to clear the way to reach other miners feared dead or trapped down the tunnel," he said.
He said 12 families had reported relatives missing. But illegal miners often enter small mines without registering their names, so the death toll could be higher.
Nsekela said officials did not know what caused the collapse. Mine collapses in Tanzania are often caused by the improper use of dynamite by small-scale miners.
Tanzania is Africa's third largest producer of gold, behind South Africa and Ghana.
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Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
