Twenty-two people have died following a landslide at a mine in northern Tanzania, the country’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has said.
President Hassan said the landslide occurred at Ng’alita mine in Bariadi district, Simiyu region.
“These fellow Tanzanians were small miners in the area, trying to earn a living for themselves, their families,” President Hassan said.
Defence agencies are working to remove more bodies from the rubble, she said.
“Initially we were told that there were 19 to 20 people who were trapped in the mines but unfortunately we ended up retrieving 22 bodies,” Simon Simalenga, the region’s Bariadi district commissioner, told news agency Reuters.
He said the group of people began mining in the mineral-rich area about three weeks ago before the government brought in safety procedures.
The area was restricted because of ongoing heavy rains.
“The regional mining officer visited them and stopped them from mining as it was working on the required procedures” Mr Simalenga said.
Unregulated and illegal mining is common in Tanzania, which is one of the largest gold producers in the world.