Mines Minister Zhemu Soda said that all 15 small-scale gold miners were rescued after an emergency operation freed them after a shaft at Redwing Mine in Penhalonga collapsed, trapping them for four days.
”They are all okay and very conscious,” Soda said in a telephone interview from Penhalonga.
When rescue operations began, officials reported difficulties in the operation.
Safety concerns have been a major concern at the once thriving gold mine with NGOs claiming dozens continue to die in deep pits dug using picks and shovels by artisanal miners.
The Environmental Management Agency has ordered the mine to halt operation before citing safety concerns.
