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Dar es Salaam: At least 22 people were killed when an illegal small-scale gold mine collapsed in northern Tanzania after heavy rains, a senior government official said on Sunday.
Simon Simalenga, the region's Bariadi district commissioner, told Reuters that the accident occurred early on Saturday in the Simiyu region when a group of men aged between 24 and 38 began mining in an area where activity has been restricted due to persistent heavy rains.
"Initially we were told that 19 to 20 people were trapped in the mine, but unfortunately we ended up finding 22 bodies," he said, adding that search and rescue operations were continuing despite almost all the rubble that buried them having been removed.
Simalenga said the group discovered a mineral-rich area about two to three weeks ago and began mining pending government approval of physical and environmental safety and procedures.
"The district mining officials visited them and stopped them from mining as they were carrying out necessary procedures," he said.
He added that the group defied orders and began mining late on Friday before part of the area caved in, burying them inside.
The government has been working for years to improve safety for small-scale miners, but unsafe and unregulated illegal mining persists in Tanzania. Tanzania is Africa's fourth largest gold producer after South Africa, Ghana and Mali.
Source: Reuters
官方稱坦尚尼亞金礦倒塌已造成22人死亡
達累斯薩拉姆：一名高級政府官員週日表示，坦尚尼亞北部的一座非法小型金礦在大雨後倒塌，造成至少 22 人死亡。
該地區巴里亞迪地區專員西蒙·西馬倫加(Simon Simalenga)告訴路透社，這起事故於週六早些時候在西米尤地區發生，當時一群年齡在24歲至38歲之間的男子開始在一個因持續大雨而活動受到限制的地區採礦。
他說：「最初我們被告知有19 至20 人被困在礦井中，但不幸的是我們最終發現了22 具屍體。」他補充說，儘管幾乎所有掩埋他們的瓦礫都已被清除，但搜救行動仍在繼續。
西馬倫加表示，該組織大約兩到三週前發現了一個礦產豐富的地區，並開始採礦，等待政府批准物理和環境安全及程序。
他說： “地區礦業官員拜訪了他們，並在他們執行必要程序時阻止他們採礦。”
他補充說，該組織違抗命令，於週五晚些時候開始採礦，隨後部分地區塌陷，並將他們埋在裡面。
政府多年來致力於改善小規模採礦者的安全，但坦尚尼亞不安全和不受監管的非法採礦現象仍然存在。 坦尚尼亞是非洲第四大黃金生產國，僅次於南非、加納和馬爾
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