The Head of Communications from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals Badra Masoud
The survivors are however gravely wounded and in extremely poor health and have been admitted to the Kahama District Hospital, explained the Head of Communications from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals Badra Masoud.
Briefing journalists yesterday in Dar es Salaam, Masoud said the survivors are among six people who were feared dead after the collapse of the mining pit.
She the deceased, Musa Supana has been reported dead by the survivors although his body is yet to be recovered.
She named the survivors as Muhangwa Amous, Joseph Balele, Chacha Wambura, Msafiri Gerald and Onyiwa Awindo.
Masoud went on to detail that while in the pit, the survivors did not give up hope, rather, they ploughed through the underground tunnels until they reached a place where they could hear mining works on the surface and started shouting for help.
“When their colleagues heard them, they informed the authorities who started the rescue efforts,” Masoud said noting that they had survived underground for forty one days.
“We made efforts to find the missing people when the pit collapsed on October 5 this year but failed,” she admitted.
She said while in the pit, the survivors ate plant roots and drank underground water, the situation became worse when their torches ran out of power because they were forced to live in total darkness, she said.
Early last month seven people were feared dead after a pit collapsed at a mine site located in Nyangarata village, Lunguya ward of Kahama District, Shinyanga Region.
The Shinyanga Regional Police Commander, Justus Kamugisha confirmed the incident saying ten other people were rescued having sustained serious injuries and were treated in nearby health facilities.
On October 12 this year, the government called off rescue efforts even though relatives and friends of the victims still harboured hope of finding their loved ones alive.
The incident occurred when part of a pit collapsed and buried seven miners. Shinyanga Regional Police Commander Justus Kamugisha said the trapped miners were able to communicate with their relatives and colleagues for many hours after the tragedy.
“The communication gave us hope of finding them alive but all our efforts to rescue them hit a snag due to the distance they were trapped in the debris,” said the police boss.
At that time, Energy and Minerals deputy minister Charles Kitwanga visited the site of the tragedy and called off the rescue operation.
Kitwanga said retrieving the bodies was an impossible task that required heavy duty and sophisticated equipment to excavate the whole mining area so as to reach the bodies, something he said called for considerable time and more expertise.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN