Up to 70 people were killed in late March when flash floods swept mining pits in northern Tanzania, charity group Oxfam-Ireland said on Monday.
”The rains caused flooding of eight mines in the region, killing up to 70 mineworkers caught below ground,” it said in a statement.
”A recovery operation to retrieve the bodies has been set under way and is currently being coordinated by the [area’s] district commissioner. At the time of writing, 44 bodies are known to have been recovered,” it added.
Scores of poor Tanzanians were in pits and tunnels searching for Tanzanite when the floods covered the mines on March 29.
Tanzanite, a purple-blue shimmering stone, has been found only in northern Tanzania and in 2005 a leading gemstone miner said he had unearthed the world’s largest tanzanite stone weighing about 3kg.
The lure of the gem has drawn thousands of miners to Mirerani, which resembles a gold-rush town dotted with hardware stores, bars and brothels.
Small-scale miners such as those affected by the latest disaster only get food rations from their employers and are paid only if they hit tanzanite. Some of them work months without pay.
Many dig in highly unsafe and unstable mines using primitive tools and garden implements. — Sapa-AFP