At least 22 people died in a gold mine collapse in Tanzania

International Desk: At least 22 people died in the collapse of an illegal gold mine in the African country of Tanzania. Authorities said the small mine collapsed due to heavy rains in the northern part of the country. A senior government official of the country confirmed this information. BBC gave this news in a report on Monday.

According to reports, despite the restrictions, a group of people started digging there, causing a landslide and loss of life. Simon Simalenga, Bariadi District Commissioner of the concerned region, said the accident happened in Simiu region early Saturday morning (January 13) local time.

He said a group of men aged 24 to 38 were digging in an unsafe area without permission from the administration at the time of the accident. Simon said, "Initially we were told that 19 to 20 people were trapped in the mine. But unfortunately we managed to recover 22 bodies. He said the team discovered a mineral-rich spot about two to three weeks ago.

They left to start digging before the government approved physical and environmental safeguards and procedures. Tanzania is the fourth largest gold producer in Africa after South Africa, Ghana and Mali. The Tanzanian government has worked for years to improve the safety of small-scale miners. But unsafe and uncontrolled illegal mining still occurs in the country.