CHINGOLA, ZAMBIA – A catastrophic event has struck the city of Chingola, located in Zambia’s copperbelt, as a waste pile at an open-pit mine is believed to have collapsed, trapping over 30 individuals underneath, a government minister reported on Friday.
The Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister, Jack Mwiimbu, shared the grim news with Parliament. The incident occurred in Chingola, approximately 248 miles to the north of the nation’s capital, Lusaka. “We are facing a potential disaster in Chingola where several of our citizens are affected by an open pit collapse,” Mwiimbu declared. “We have over 30 individuals under the debris, and their rescue is proving to be a challenge.”
Mwiimbu confirmed the deployment of rescue teams to the accident site. The Mines and Minerals Development Minister, Paul Kabuswe, was also on location. He stated that no survivors have been located yet, and the exact number of trapped individuals remains undetermined.
While Chingola is a hub for informal artisanal mining, it isn’t clear if the victims were involved in this sector. Zambia is one of the top ten copper producers worldwide and also extracts cobalt in Chingola.
Chingola is home to one of the world’s most extensive open-pit mines, with operations spanning over 6.2 miles. The area is marked by vast waste dumps filled with rock and earth extracted from the mines.