At least 22 miners are presumed dead after a mining pit collapsed at an illegal mining site within the Gashaka-Gumti National Park, spanning Taraba and Adamawa states. The incident occurred almost a month ago in the Buffa zone, where miners were extracting gold.
Adamu Jamtare, a local miner, confirmed that many of the deceased hailed from Jamtare town in Gashaka Local Government Area. Chairman of Toungo LGA, Engineer Suleiman Toungo, reported that five bodies have been recovered, but the exact number of miners still buried remains uncertain.
The national game reserve, rich in mineral resources, has witnessed multiple fatalities due to unregulated mining activities. Last year, approximately 70 miners lost their lives in similar incidents, which largely went unreported ¹.
Recent incidents include:
- Four miners perished in one pit collapse
- Six miners were involved in another incident, with two confirmed dead and four injured
Adamawa Police are collaborating with Gumti National Park authorities to apprehend illegal miners.
