Three men were killed, and two others were injured after a mine shaft collapsed at an illegal gold mining site in the Mpata area of Pondorosa Farm, Mhangura, at around 2 pm on Friday.
The accident happened when a group of artisanal miners entered a hanging shaft, estimated to be about five metres deep, in search of gold ore.
The miners had reportedly received information that people from neighbouring farms were illegally extracting gold at the site.
They went there and entered the shaft, which later collapsed while they were inside, trapping them underground.
Other illegal miners who were at the site fled immediately after the collapse. They later returned and managed to retrieve the bodies from the collapsed shaft.
Police from ZRP Mhangura attended the scene, and the bodies were taken to Makonde Christian Hospital mortuary, where post-mortem examinations will be carried out.
The two injured men were also taken to the same hospital for treatment.
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