No fewer than three persons have been confirmed dead and several others injured after a mining pit collapsed at Enyim Agalegu community in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The incident, which occurred on Saturday, was reported at a mining site operated by First Patriots Limited, formerly known as Royal Salt.
Confirming the development at the scene, the National Chairman of Enyim Agalegu Edukwu Opeke Federated Union, Oboke Chukwuma Collins, said he received a distress call around 4 pm on Saturday informing him that the pit had caved in on miners.
According to him, community members quickly mobilised to the site and carried out rescue efforts, removing heavy overburden that had trapped victims beneath the collapsed earth.
“We evacuated overburden from the top of some lifeless bodies, about three of them, and rescued four others who sustained injuries,” he said.
Collins explained that the community had previously written to the company and the state Ministry of Solid Minerals, requesting that the pit be handed over to locals for regulated mining after operations at the main site were believed to have ended.
He described activities at the location as illegal, noting that attempts to secure approval were unsuccessful.
He added that the latest incident increased the number of recorded deaths at the site to five in recent times.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development in the state, Chidi Onyi, described the collapse as unfortunate and extended condolences to the bereaved families.
“It is never our intention to lose citizens under our care,” he said.
The commissioner attributed repeated accidents in mining communities to illegal operations driven by greed, stressing that the government was unaware the particular pit had been abandoned.
He maintained that the site remained active under the ownership of First Patriots and warned against unauthorised mining activities, noting that such actions often expose locals to life-threatening hazards.
