Toxic gas leak kills over 30 miners in Plateau
At least 30 miners have died and 25 others were hospitalised after inhaling carbon monoxide at an underground mining site in Wase Local Government Area, Plateau State, on Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses said the victims—mostly young men between the ages of 20 and 35—collapsed while carrying out routine mining activities. Several of the injured were reported to be in critical condition and are currently receiving treatment at a nearby primary healthcare facility.
A local miner, Haruna Safiyanu, said toxic gas had built up inside poorly ventilated tunnels, causing multiple workers to lose consciousness while underground.
Rescue teams, working alongside personnel at the mining site, swiftly secured the area and evacuated survivors for emergency medical care.
“It is true that so far 38 people are confirmed dead and about 27 others have been rushed to hospital,” the acting traditional ruler Alhaji Aliyu Adamu Idris told AFP.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and are assessing safety conditions to prevent a recurrence.
The tragedy comes months after a similar incident in Zamfara State, where at least 18 people were killed in September when heavy rainfall triggered the collapse of a boulder onto an illegal mining site.
