Harare — The disaster management unit announced on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 that rescue personnel in Zambia extracted the first survivor of a landslide that occurred on December 1 that submerged an open-pit copper mine, trapping at least 25 unauthorised workers, according to reports.
The area around the Seseli Mine in Chingola, approximately 400 km (250 miles) northwest of Lusaka, was inundated by severe rains, trapping the miners in three different sites, according to authorities.
As rescue attempts resumed on Tuesday, December 5, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema expressed optimism that the trapped miners could still be alive.
The mine is currently owned by a local business that has not begun mining operations while awaiting environmental and safety licences. The former owners were the Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) of Vedanta.
According to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, the rescue squad also retrieved a body that is still to be identified.