LUSAKA, Zambia—Eleven informal miners have been declared dead, and their remains have been recovered from an open-pit copper mine in Zambia where they were buried in tunnels they were excavating last month by landslides. One survivor has been located, while up to 26 others are still missing and presumed dead nearly two weeks later.
Late on Sunday, rescuers confirmed the latest dead toll. According to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, which is leading the rescue operation, the survivor, a 49-year-old male, was retrieved from beneath the debris last week and is recovering in the hospital.
Last week, rescuers also recovered the first two bodies. The disaster management agency reported that nine additional people were found this weekend.
Government authorities claim up to 38 miners may have been buried by landslides at the mine in Chingola, on Zambia's copper belt, although they are unsure of the precise number.
They had been depending on families to notify missing relatives, and there were mounting concerns that the death toll may exceed 30.
“Efforts to recover the remaining accident victims are ongoing,” the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit said in a statement.
The accident occurred on November 30 when heavy rain created landslides, burying the miners in three different tunnels while working late at night. The rain also inundated the region around the tunnels, requiring rescuers to pump out water as well as clear rubble and mud. The army has been assisting in the rescue effort.
Authorities suspect the workers were excavating for copper ore illegally without the knowledge of the mine owner, making it impossible to determine how many were trapped underneath.
Zambia is one of the world's top ten copper producers. Chingola, around 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Lusaka, features extensive open-pit mines, some of which stretch for kilometers (miles). They are bordered by massive trash piles of rocks and soil excavated from mines.
According to the administration, debris from one of the garbage piles is believed to have crashed on the miners' tunnels during the heavy rain. In the area, informal mining is rampant, with small-scale miners going underground without sufficient safety procedures.
Police reported in the days following the disaster that they believed the most of the miners were dead, but the government chastised them, saying it was too soon to make that claim.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema visited the mine last week and expressed optimism that additional survivors would be found.
