A young woman has reportedly died after a gold mined collapsed on her and five others at Puwata payam in Kapoeta South County, Eastern Equatoria State, at the weekend.
The Kapoeta South County Paramount Chief, identified the deceased as Akoi Lotor, 27 – a mother of two children.
Angelo Longoleyang said the six miners had just started work on Saturday morning when the mine collapsed, injuring Akoi’s colleagues, who are all males.
” The same earth that they were digging up in search of gold collapsed on them. Only the five men were pulled out alive,” he told Sinagita FM on Monday.
He said the unnamed five ministers are now being cared for at Napetait Primary Health Care Center.
The traditional leader urged the local gold miners to take precautionary measures while at the mining sites.
Eastern Equatoria, along with the region historically known as Central Equatoria, contains some of the most important and best-known sites for artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASM), according to a report by The Enough Project.
Some estimates put the number of miners at 60,000 working at 80 different locations in the area, including Nanaknak, Lauro (Didinga Hills), Napotpot, and Namurnyang.
Locals primarily use traditional mining techniques, panning for gold from seasonal streams in various villages. The work provides miners’ families resources to support their basic needs.