Four die in Plateau mining pit collapse

Four people have died after a sand or mining pit collapsed in Tangur community, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Daily Trust and Premium Times both reported that the collapse happened on Tuesday in the Tangur area. The accounts differ slightly on timing and identity details, but both place the incident at a pit around the community and confirm four deaths.

Daily Trust quoted a Bokkos youth leader, Christopher Luka, as saying the victims were working inside the tunnel when the pit collapsed. He said the victims included two men and two women.

Premium Times, citing security analyst Zagazola Makama, reported that troops responded after a sand excavation pit collapsed along a river line. It said four people died and that the bodies were recovered by relatives for burial.

The incident adds to concern over unsafe and unregulated mining activity in Plateau communities. Daily Trust noted that the state government had earlier banned illegal mining, while Premium Times reported that troops had begun inquiries into the circumstances of the collapse.

Sources: Daily Trust, Premium Times