Africa-Press – Mozambique. A young man was buried on Monday while extracting coal from an artisanal excavation in the mining district of Moatize, in Tete province, an official source told Lusa on Tuesday.
The victim, a 27-year-old potter, died moments after deciding to take a break at the site where he was working in Bairro da Liberdade, Moatize, spokesman for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Tete province Feliciano da Câmara said.
“He was resting at the bottom of the excavation when the earth collapsed,” da Câmara explained.
The victim was accompanied by another young man, aged 24, who was injured and is receiving medical treatment at the local hospital.
The two young men were looking for coal to fire bricks, which they produce using mud and resell in the region, a common business in some rural areas.
Illegal mining in search of various resources, including gold, is a problem in several parts of the interior of the country, involving disorganised and dangerous land exploitation and often resulting in fatalities.
