[READ & SHARE] 25 dead in Central African gold mine collapse Via @iKanzee_RR

BANGUI (AFP) – At least 25 people died when
an illegally operated gold mine collapsed for a
second time in two years in the Central African
Republic, police said Saturday.
“In all, 27 people were buried in the collapse
of the gold mine. Twenty-five bodies were
found and dug out but two could not be
found” after the accident on Thursday near the
southern city of Bambari, a police source said.
The mine in the town of Ndassima is under
the control of former rebels of the Seleka
movement who were operating illegally, police
said.
A source close to the former rebels said he
could not confirm whether the dead miners
were Seleka members.
“(Safety) measures were not respected at the
site. It is illegal for people to venture into the
mine at night, but that is when they chose to
go… Unfortunately, there are frequent
incidents,” the source said.
A collapse at the same mine last year claimed
62 lives.
Thousands of people began exploiting the
Ndassima mine illegally after its owner,
Canadian company Axmin, shut it down in
2011 because of security concerns in the
conflict-riven country.
The gold reserves at the mine are estimated at
about 3.6 million ounces, worth some $4.6
billion (3.5 billion euros) at current market
prices