State Media

Efforts to rescue five Task Mine Syndicate workers trapped underground when a shaft collapsed on Tuesday night, are continuing with rescuers still hopeful of finding them alive.

The mine is close to Chegutu and the shaft falls under the block assigned to Dallaglio Investments (Pvt) Limited.

Dallagio owns Peerless Pickstone mine in the same district and Eureka Gold Mine in Guruve.

Mashonaland West police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Ian Kohwera said the rescue mission was in progress while an official, who did not want to be named, with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development from the province said they had started timbering the shafts to avoid further collapse.

While the ministry teams were committed to rescuing the trapped workers they were not going endanger any more lives.

Chegutu district coordinator and Civil Protection Unit chairperson, Mr Tariro Tomu on Wednesday said the accident occurred around 4 pm when the five were extracting ore in level four, which is about 110 metres underground. Reports from mine inspectors showed that there were still chances that the miners would be found alive.

Efforts to get comments from the mine’s owner, Mr Temson Musonza were futile.