Four persons have died after a sand excavation pit collapsed at Tangur community in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident occurred at about 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday, according to security analyst Zagazola Makama.
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Mr Makama said troops responded to a report of a sand excavation pit collapse involving suspected illegal miners along a river line in the community.
“Troops confirmed that four persons died in the incident,” he said.
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The deceased were identified as Fahad Aliyu and three women whose identities had not been established at the time of filing this report.
Their bodies were subsequently recovered by relatives for burial.
During preliminary inquiries, the troops engaged the community leader, who reportedly said he was unaware of illegal mining activities in the area.
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The troops have commenced further investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the extent of unregulated mining in the area.
The incident adds to growing concerns about the risks of unregulated mining, particularly miners’ exposure to poorly constructed, potentially unstable excavation sites.
A mining-related incident occurred in Niger State earlier in September, where 37 suspected illegal miners reportedly died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following their arrest during operations in two local communities.
The Niger incident has also prompted investigations after one of the surviving detainees alleged that about 65 people were held in a single cell and that a substance was sprayed inside the facility. The allegation had not been independently verified.
The Federal Government subsequently deployed a high-powered investigative team, while the NSCDC arrested 24 personnel, including the suspended Niger State commandant, Suberu Aniviye.
The Plateau incident is now subject to further investigation as authorities seek to establish what led to the collapse and subsequent deaths.
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