Government says it has made progress at Seseli dump site where over 30 Miners are trapped though no miner has been retried as at Day 3 of the search operations.
Copperbelt Province Minister Elisha Matambo said rescue operators at the site have managed to pump out water in a tunnel which was filled up.
Mr Matambo said the Commando Unit has also joined the team to help with rescue operations.
Speaking during a press briefing after visiting the site, the Provincial Minister stated that rescue operators have assured that they are only remaining with about 2.5 meters to reach where the Miners are suspected to be.
He has further thanked the rescue operators for the efforts made in ensuring that the small scale miners are retrieved.
Mr. Matambo says government will work round the clock to search for bodies trapped at the three sites.
He said government is concerned and sympathises with the families whose relatives are missing and added that so far no one has been declared dead because there is no single body that has been retrieved.
“We want to assure the nation that government has mobilized all equipment needed to search for bodies believed to be trapped in the pit. So far Five excavators are on the ground trying to secure the holes were the persons are believed to be, a front loader and enough man power ready secure the holes. So far we have managed to pump out water then take out the mud before the search commences.” said Mr Matambo
He said currently, there is a team from the Provincial Joint Operation Command, PJOC, District Joint operation Command, DJOC, KCM , Mopani, Nchanga mines rescue teams creating a buffer of enough personnel currently camping to monitor the search for the persons trapped in the pit.
Mr. Matambo said he remains optimistic that the team will make breakthroughs atleast by tomorrow on the status of the persons trapped in the pit and added that President Hakainde Hichilema is in constant touch through the Secretariat of Ministers that has been created for the rescue mission.
And Mines and Mineral Development Minister Paul Kabuswe has expressed disappointment at insensitive utterances from made the opposition towards the accident at a time when families missing their relatives.
“An open pit is a very delicate area and as a result precaution needs to be taken to prevent an accident within an accident, we seem to be taking time because we have to be careful and professional as we conduct a search and to protect everyone working in the pit. So far we met 25 families that have reported missing persons. We have 16 persons missing from Chingola, two persons missing from Kitwe, six persons from Luanshya and one from Chililabombwe.” said Mr Kabuswe.
He said government and the rescue team was in constant touch with families and is happy that all systems are at work to secure the missing persons.
Mines and Mineral Development Minister Paul Kabuswe has expressed disappointment at insensitive utterances from made the opposition towards the accident at a time when families missing their relatives”
Kabuswe this not drama, people have been killed because you are not doing your job. Leave out the opposition. I’m not opposition but my finger points directly at your person. This mining has been going on for sometime…. the least you could have done is to implement safety measures to protect lives. Shut up.
I think they are waiting for HH to return from Dubai, so he can take publicity pictures at the accident site.
2.5 meters and you go home to sleep? How lazy can we continue to be for real?
Kabuswe must come out and tell the nation if he has no knowledge of what he is now calling an illegal mine. These boys do not just go there and start mining copper. Who engaged them? Who is buying the copper?
Sad day!! This is a reason why we were calling for new serious investors who can put Health & Safety first. However, HH corruptly awarded back the mines to Vedanta the very company that has failed Health & Safety test more than 34 times since it bought the mines. Vedanta cooked books, reported loses, when they should have been investing in Health & Safety. Yet, the owner was publicly boasting that KCM has always been a profitable business from the minute he bought the mine. Anyone can watch this video on the internet in which the Vedanta owner was boasting at a business conference in India.
@@ INDEPENDENT OBSERVER………Rather than attacking Vedanta.
Why not donate $50,000 to each of these families that are losing hope every minute of the day. That is loose change to you. You F*ckin A$$ Hole.
#Zambia Today
It’s his money. What always bothers you about #INDEPENDENT OBSERVER. At some point you have to admit that you are extremely very JEALOUSY of him, so other bloggers who insult him. He was smart and intelligent to have spotted an investment opportunity in Bitcoin when it was around $1 per bitcoin then sold them it reached $50K per bitcoin. If you care so much, sell your belonging to raise money and donate to the families. I don’t agree with everything that #OBSERVER says, but he is among the few bloggers who posts meaningful and perceptive comments. You have insulted #INDEPENDENCE OBSERVER, #GENERAL KANENE, #TARINO ORANGE, #DE JAVU etc… with no merit. Be happy for your fellow Zambian success.
Not the right time to say this…………………………………..
As far as UPND supporters are concerned, the only successful businessman or smart investor in Zambia is HH. There is no one else in Zambia. HH is the only GOD in Zambia and he cannot be wrong….
Ati kwashala fye 2.5m. Does this man what he’s saying? Two metres is just over one step meaning the bodies would already be showing.
It’s no longer a rescue mission, it’s a retrieval. We are never ready for major rescue undertakings.
”so far no one has been declared dead because there is no single body that has been retrieved”.Ba minister are you sure you are certain with what you are saying.mmmm 2.5 meters no body seen sure.May God help mother zambia and condolences to the families.
Again we are dealing with a demagogue President and lying Government…but this
one is saying no single body has been retrieved and Jack Mwimbu said 7 bodies have been recovered
Zambia is not inspiring…everything is disorganized…..what we need as a country is proper leadership not thieves and liars…now they’ve found a way of looting and finished our nation treasury
President Hakainde Hichilema expressed his condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the accident. The President, in a statement, said, “We are saddened to hear about the tragic accident at a makeshift mine site in Chingola that has claimed many lives. Our prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who died in the accident.” BUT ON THE OTHER HAND THE MINISTER IS SAYING I QUOTE ”and added that so far no one has been declared dead because there is no single body that has been retrieved”. Check mate two contradicting statements from govt officials which is which now.
These are people who talk without research.
Remember in opposition HH said
1) Reduce $ Kwacha rate within hours
2) Fuel reduce to K10 per liter
3) Mealie meal reduce to K50 /25kg
4) Fertilizer reduce to K200
5) All youths to get decent jobs
All these were pronounced without finding out why these were “expensive” in the PF tenure.
We should be prepared for worst outcome.
When you look at the minister and the people who voted for him mamma, no balance bakalamba
Is it not funny how people in Zambia glorify the likes of Lwala and Spax and yet cannot see that such opportunists have a high body count? Here it is for all you to see.
The sad part is that government officials have great interaction with these pseudo millionaires. Otherwise these operations were going to be stopped a long time ago.
@since ni since
Are you even surprised…have you forgotten that we’re dealing with a demagogue President and lying Government…..and we don’t know if its a search and rescue mission or recovery mission….because search and rescue is when there’s a possibility that they’re still alive but recovery mission is when they is no chance of survival….and it looks like the Minister doesn’t know the difference between search and rescue and recovery…you only recover a dead body and if someone is still alive but trapped he is rescued…..anyway they have no time to learn because they’re busy looting via Judiciary
It’s interesting that during elections we are told that Zambia has a disaster management and mitigation unit but during disaster all we see is the army or well wishers parading for photo opportunities. We have some of the deepest mines in the world but our government is fast sleep and disconnected to reality. Why is our government scared to use the experts from our established mines to assist? Zambian lives should be government priority not ma harvesters.
When the minister Kabuswe is going to his constituency in Chililabombwe, He does not fly. He drives on the Chingola- Chililabombwe road. I am sure he has seen on the side roads boys loading bags and bags of copper ore in Open canters. Unless he says he is blind because everyone who drives on this road sees this activity. He knows about this illegal mine. Why did he allow it ?
@Chingola… because just like the late black mountain, he is getting something out of the activities.
@Futurezed
Imagine ministers posing with hardhats for photos like they care…in Zambia we don’t have disaster management…people bleed to death during car accidents or natural disasters because money which is supposed to buy rescue equipment is looted and paid to cadres….there’s thermal technology which can dictate exactly where the miners are and if there’s any form of life….these equipments cost less than K450000…the money paid to Tayali and Mwaliteta
This was a sacrifice for upnd to win next election. That is why hh is no where to be seen. He was told to stay away and let them die for sacrifice to work
So am guessing you have already lost? Shut your buttplug and be logical.
Shame on Zambian Mining graduates. They abound with certificates from Camborne School of Mines,, Cardiff University and Royal School of Mines. How can they sit on their laurels and allow such mal-practice to happen? Then they complain of Expats taking their jobs! When you do nothing in using your knowledge to protect your countrymen from being killed….do you expect the foreign owned mined to employ you? Ask yourselves this question before complaining. You ought to be more proactive. A small operation such as this will listen to your suggestions easier than Kalumbila/Sentinel will.
And guess who is facilitating all these…a Zambian Human Resources Officer with a briefcase full of money hidden under papers.
We know all these… the money is dropped at each step.
You are wrong on this one GRZ is the one hindering our local engineers from participating in running mining affairs. The same graduates you are castigating are in high demand in Australia, Canada, New Zealand. What can they do if your government gives preference to Chinese and Boers?
These foreigners don’t meet the minimum requirements to practice in Zambia but the departments that are supposed to screen qualifications allow them in…. immigration gives work permit, MSD allows them to work, the Occupational health department declares them fit.
4 days and they still don’t know if they’re rescuing miners or simply recovering dead bodies….HH and his Government….they seem to be clueless in everything the only thing they’ve mastered so far is how to access the national treasury and pay out cadres….Jacob Zuma was taken to court over Nkandhla renovations and HH should be Jailed for stealing money from the National treasury and renovating his house
The only they can successfully execute is murdering opposition parties.
Why are there so many miners from different towns?: its because UPND officially authorized and funded this cooperative of sscale miners without attaching Mine Safety Department. Heads must roll in this GRZ!
The truths of the matter is that illegal mining has been going on for a long time. Many governments have tried to enforce safety measures but the political pressure to allow people to continue mining is high. It is ironic, you celebrate culprits like Spax and Lwala who have people digging pits for them and yet you forget that people are responsible for this body count.
Spa’s and Lwala were created by PF under Lung and under Lusambo. HH is in this sad chapter of the story innocent. The only criminal charge he can be blamed at is that through his enriching himself at the expense of poor, hungry Zambians on the Copperbelt, this has seen the growth of illegal minings in order to survive.
He’s culpable…. Spaka now dines with the Upnd. He’s cut whatever ties he had with the PF. Two years and you have let continue? Why? Because he’s filling your plates with sumptuous steaks. In fact you are not Samuel Phiri but Samuel Hansobe
Useless statement
The minister is talking of retrieving bodies, so if it is confirmed that that is the situation, why is this then being called a rescue mission
UPND should be ignoring the opposition much of the time. these pipo in opposition just think they can gain pollitcal milage on anything.