HARARE - A rescue operation is continuing in Zimbabwe for miners trapped in a flooded mineshaft where dozens are feared to have drowned.

Zimbabwe’s mining minister is due to visit the site of the accident, known as Battlefields, which is so far known to have claimed at least 24 lives.

State radio says rescue teams have gone underground in search of more survivors or more bodies. So far, eight people have been rescued. They spent four days without drinking water or eating food in a flooded mineshaft.

The information’s ministry says mines minister Winston Chitando will visit the Battlefields area on Sunday.

Zimbabwe’s government has come under fire for what’s been seen as a slow response to the disaster.

However, in a tweet, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa gave assurance that his government is using all available resources toward the rescue operation. </s> Eight gold miners who were trapped underground for several days after heavy flooding in Zimbabwe have been rescued, though some of their co-workers are still missing and feared dead.

Eight gold miners who were trapped underground for several days after heavy flooding in Zimbabwe have been rescued, though some of their co-workers are still missing and feared dead.

Rescuers on Saturday pulled the exhausted, muddied survivors from the ground and took them to a tent for medical treatment.

Relatives waiting at the scene ululated, cheered and hugged each other.

Dozens of gold miners were caught underground on the outskirts of Kadoma, west of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, on Tuesday.

It is unclear how many miners remain trapped. The government has said a total of between 60 and 70 people were working underground at the time of the accident. </s> Philimon Bulawayo, REUTERS | A rescued artisanal miner is carried from a pit as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019.

Zimbabwean rescuers pulled the bodies of at least 22 illegal gold miners out of shafts west of Harare that were flooded earlier in the week, and rescued eight more alive, officials and witnesses said on Saturday.

The accident involving about 70 miners in Battlefields, 175 km (109 miles) west of the capital, happened on Tuesday night and has shone a light on the risks run by illegal gold miners, who last year contributed a large part of Zimbabwe's record 33 tonne bullion output.

The government has declared the incident a disaster.

Henrietta Rushwaya, the chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation, which represents small-scale miners, said at least 22 bodies had been identified in the shafts and tunnels.

"We hope we will be able to retrieve all of the people in time," Rushwaya said.

A Reuters witness saw rescuers pulling out at least six bodies in white and blue body bags that were taken to a tent for identification.

Tapererwa Paswavaviri, the government deputy chief mining engineer told reporters at the scene that eight miners had been rescued.

"So far we have managed to bring out eight miners alive, and we are yet to assess and find any more people down there who are still alive."

The miners, who were covered in mud, were whisked away by officials before they could speak to reporters. Rescuers briefly stopped operations due to rain.

Anxious relatives and other miners have camped out at the mining site as they wait for news of their loved ones and colleagues, some expressing frustration at the lack of information they are getting.

"My son is in there. I did not see him when they brought out the others. No one is saying anything, how are we supposed to know what is happening?," said Sekai Maziwisa, a 56-year-old mother of three.

Battlefields and surrounding areas are rich in gold deposits and popular with artisanal miners, known locally as "Makorokoza" or hustlers, who use picks and shovels and generator-powered water pumps. The makeshift shafts and tunnels, dotted around a clearing some 8 km from the main dirt road, can easily collapse in the rainy season when the ground is soft. </s> Eight subsistence miners who were trapped underground for several days after heavy flooding in Zimbabwe have been rescued, though dozens of their co-workers are still missing and feared dead.

"Eight of the trapped minors have been rescued ... while 24 bodies have been retrieved to date as rescue efforts continue at Battlefields Mine," the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Rescuers on Saturday pulled the exhausted, muddied survivors from the ground and took them to a tent for medical treatment. Relatives waiting at the scene ululated, cheered and hugged each other.

Later came the retrieval of the dead. One by one the bodies were pulled from one of the tunnels in the gold fields, put in blue body bags and into a police truck which is transporting them to a tent for identification.

Dozens of the small-scale gold miners were caught underground Tuesday on the outskirts of Kadoma, west Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, when a dam wall collapsed and water rushed into the nearby mining tunnels.

It is unclear how many miners remain trapped, but the government has said between 60 and 70 people were working underground at the time of the accident. The government has declared it a national disaster.

Uniformed police, government workmen and artisanal miners, some of them wearing shorts, T-shirts and sandals, are working together in the retrieval operation using a hand-powered winch and ropes.

Ignoring a strong stench, some people broke through the police perimeter to catch a glimpse of the process, while others hoped to identify their friends and relatives.

At least 20 bodies had been identified underground, while the search for more bodies continued, said Henrietta Rushwaya, the leader of Zimbabwe's association of small scale miners.

A government statement Friday said that $200,000 is needed to complete the operation. Local head of the Civil Protection Unit Cecilia Chitiyo told reporters Saturday that "well-wishers" should donate body bags, masks, gloves, diesel fuel and other needed items. </s> The bodies of 24 illegal gold miners have been recovered from flooded tunnels in Zimbabwe after a dam wall collapsed following heavy rain.

Up to 70 may have been trapped in the mine and the search near Kadoma continues, the government said. It has declared a national disaster.

Eight people were rescued, all but one of whom have been discharged from hospital.

Henrietta Rushwaya, who leads the country's small-scale miners' association, said 23 of the bodies had been identified.

According to the government's deputy chief mining engineer, "it doesn't seem likely" that there are any other survivors.

The disaster happened in Battlefields - a small settlement 110 miles west of Harare that is rich in gold deposits and popular with illegal miners.

Friends and relatives have broken police lines in an attempt to identify their loved ones.

The makeshift shafts and tunnels, some running as deep as 50m (164ft), can easily collapse in the rainy season when the ground is soft.

According to the Zimbabwean government, $200,000 (£155,000) is needed to complete the rescue effort - with a spokesman urging "well-wishers" to donate body bags, masks and gloves. </s> (KADOMA, Zimbabwe) — Searchers have recovered 24 bodies from a mine in Zimbabwe that was flooded after heavy rains, trapping dozens of subsistence miners underground.

Henrietta Rushwaya, leader of the country’s small-scale miners’ association, said Sunday that 23 of the bodies have been identified since the disaster on Tuesday near Kadoma.

Eight people were rescued from the flooded tunnels, and all but one have been discharged from a hospital after treatment.

The government is continuing its search, saying up to 70 gold miners may have been trapped after a dam wall collapsed and water rushed into nearby mining tunnels.

Large groups of people using picks, shovels and hoes are commonly seen in Zimbabwe’s mineral-rich fields. The miners operate without regulation. Illegal mining has become rampant in a country where many people are unemployed. </s> KADOMA, Zimbabwe — Eight artisanal miners who were trapped underground for several days after heavy flooding in Zimbabwe have been rescued, though some of their co-workers are still missing and feared dead.

Rescuers on Saturday pulled the exhausted, muddied survivors from the ground and took them to a tent for medical treatment. Relatives waiting at the scene ululated, cheered and hugged each other.

Dozens of gold miners were caught underground Tuesday on the outskirts of Kadoma, west of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare.

It is unclear how many miners remain trapped. The government has said a total of between 60 and 70 people were working underground at the time of the accident. </s> KADOMA, Zimbabwe (AP) — Eight artisanal miners who were trapped underground for several days after heavy flooding in Zimbabwe have been rescued, though some of their co-workers are still missing and feared dead.

Rescuers on Saturday pulled the exhausted, muddied survivors from the ground and took them to a tent for medical treatment. Relatives waiting at the scene ululated, cheered and hugged each other.

Dozens of gold miners were caught underground Tuesday on the outskirts of Kadoma, west of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare.

It is unclear how many miners remain trapped. The government has said a total of between 60 and 70 people were working underground at the time of the accident. </s> Rescue workers retrieved 24 bodies and eight survivors Saturday from two flooded gold mines in Zimbabwe where officials fear dozens more illegal miners are still trapped, state television reported.

“Eight of the trapped miners have been rescued … while 24 bodies have been retrieved to date as rescue efforts continue at Battlefields Mine,” the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The two disused mines are situated near the town of Kadoma, 145 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of the capital Harare.

The rescued received medical attention on site before being taken to the hospital, but were in a stable condition, the report added.

Television footage showed some of the men, in soaked, muddy clothes, being helped to a makeshift clinic.

In a clip posted on Twitter, one survivor told journalists that the waters had risen to neck level, forcing them to stand for days until it receded.

On Friday the government said that between 60 and 70 “artisanal” miners were trapped in two shafts.

It launched an appeal for $200,000 to be used “to pump out water, feeding the bereaved families and the (rescue) teams on the ground, transportation and burial of the victims”, local minister July Moyo said in a statement.

“Given the magnitude of this disaster, we kindly appeal to individuals, development partners and the corporate world for assistance in cash and kind,” he said.

Zimbabwe is in the throes of a deep economic crisis, the worst in a decade.

Annual inflation shot to 56.90 percent up from 42.09 percent in December 2018, according to official statistics released Friday, the highest increase in a decade. Economists say in reality prices have gone up more than three-fold in recent months.

Formal unemployment is estimated at over 90 percent and artisanal gold mining, mostly in mines long abandoned by big corporates, is widespread providing a source of income for many.

Artisanal mining is not banned outright in Zimbabwe, and is largely unregulated.
Eight people are rescued from a gold mine that is flooded in Battlefields, Zimbabwe.