At least 25 miners remain trapped after the collapse of the Nyandolwa gold mine in Tanzania’s northwestern Shinyanga Region, President Samia Suluhu Hassan confirmed on Thursday, August 14.
The incident occurred on Monday during maintenance work inside the shafts, approximately 200 kilometres north of the capital, Dodoma. In a statement on X, President Hassan expressed deep sadness over the accident and pledged that security agencies would support emergency teams to expedite the rescue efforts.
Regional Commissioner Mboni Mhita, speaking at the site, urged patience as rescuers continue their work under challenging conditions. The tragedy is the latest in a series of fatal mining accidents in Tanzania, including a landslide in January last year that claimed 22 lives and a 2017 mine collapse in which 15 people were rescued after being trapped for two days. Authorities have called for calm as they work to reach those buried underground.