After a misfortune in a goldmine in Zimbabwe about 60 to 70 people are missing. Their chances of survival continue to wane every day, Deputy Minister of Mining Polite Kambarami says. The prospectors had penetrated the RioZim mine and were surprised by rising water in the shafts on Tuesday after a dam burst.
After the disaster near the central town Battlefields, the police had spoken on Thursday of at least 23 dead. In the meantime, however, eight survivors were arrested, telling the authorities how many people were trapped by the flood.
Once the search for survivors has been completed, the corpses will be started to recover, Kambarami said. The prospectors are said to be trapped at a depth of about 20 meters, according to a spokesman for the mining company.
In Zimbabwe and other African states, workers often try to enter mines on their own without adequate safeguards and permission to find gold or other valuable resources. Often these are abandoned shafts.