admin
At least 37 miners have reportedly died after being exposed to carbon monoxide, while working in an underground mining site in Zurak, Wase LGA of Plateau state.
According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication, the incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday.
The publication said the miners, who were mostly young men aged 20 to 35, were conducting routine mining operations when they inhaled the toxic gas that emerged from the tunnels.
Eyewitnesses told the publication that the miners subsequently collapsed inside the tunnels.
Twenty-five other victims have been taken to a nearby health facility for medical treatment.
Joyce Ramnap, commissioner of information in Plateau, confirmed the incident to TheCable, while adding that she is yet to be apprised of casualty figures.
Police sources said the site has been fully secured to prevent further exposure and to allow investigators determine the circumstances that led to the gas leak.
TheCable was shown pictures of the miners covered in white, powdery substances.
According to a research published by the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), underground miners risk exposure to hazardous quantities of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide (co) generated from mine fires or explosions.
The Mayo Clinic shares that when too much carbon monoxide is in the air, it replaces oxygen in the red blood cells. This can lead to serious tissue damage or even death.
