3 illegal miners die in KCM dumpsite collapse in Chingola, police say

THREE illegal miners, including two teenagers, died after loose soil collapsed on them at the Konkola Copper Mines OB-19 dumpsite in Chingola. The incident happened Wednesday evening and left the miners trapped beneath the collapsed soil. Copperbelt police commanding officer Rae Hamoonga confirmed the incident. He said it happened around 6:20 p.m. after a group

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THREE illegal miners, including two teenagers, died after loose soil collapsed on them at the Konkola Copper Mines OB-19 dumpsite in Chingola.

The incident happened Wednesday evening and left the miners trapped beneath the collapsed soil.

Copperbelt police commanding officer Rae Hamoonga confirmed the incident. He said it happened around 6:20 p.m. after a group of illegal miners entered the dumpsite to scavenge for stones suspected to contain copper ore.

“Preliminary information indicates that after workers from the company operating the dumpsite had knocked off from their normal operations, a group of illegal miners entered the area to scavenge for stones suspected to contain copper ore,” he said.

Hamoonga said an excavator operator had earlier warned the miners that soil on the side of the hill was loose and dangerous.

He said shortly after the operator moved away, the miners scrambled to collect the suspected copper-bearing stones, resulting in the collapse of a section of the hill.

“Several illegal miners managed to escape before the collapse, while others were trapped beneath the soil,” he said.

Hamoonga said fellow miners rescued five people who were rushed to Nchanga North General Hospital, where Benjamin Kampelo, 17, and Kachama Kambongo, 18, were pronounced dead on arrival.

The three other rescued victims were treated and later discharged, he said.

The remains of the third victim, identified as Misheck Mwanza, 20, were later retrieved from beneath the collapsed soil and taken to the Nchanga North General Hospital mortuary.

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