By Staff Reporter
Plateau State, Nigeria — At least 38 miners have been confirmed dead following a gas explosion at a lead mining site in central Nigeria’s Plateau State, local authorities said.
The deadly blast occurred early Thursday morning at the Kampanin Zurak mining site in the Bashar district of Wase Local Government Area. According to Alhaji Aliyu Adamu Idris, the acting traditional ruler of Bashar, 27 other miners were injured and rushed to nearby hospitals.
“So far 38 people are confirmed dead and about 27 others have been rushed to hospital,” Idris told AFP.
Eyewitnesses said the explosion happened between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. local time while dozens of miners were working underground.
Ibrahim Dattijo Sani, a miner working at a nearby pit, described the moment the tragedy struck.
“We are close to the sites. People were inside the mining pits and suddenly a gas exploded,” Sani said.
“We tried many efforts for rescue but unfortunately 38 people have died… others have been taken to hospital.”
A confidential security report seen by AFP indicated that the deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, suggesting the blast may have triggered the release of deadly underground gases.
The Kampanin Zurak site is operated by Solid Unit Nigeria Limited and is located in Wase district, part of Plateau State — historically one of Nigeria’s key mining regions. The state capital, Jos, is widely known as “Tin City” due to its long mining heritage.
However, mining activity in the region has declined in recent years, even as illegal and poorly regulated operations continue to pose serious safety risks.
A Pattern of Tragedy
This is not the first fatal mining accident in Nigeria. In September last year, at least 18 people were killed in Zamfara State in northwestern Nigeria when a boulder collapsed onto an illegal mining site during heavy rainfall.
Authorities have repeatedly warned that illegal mining operations contribute not only to unsafe working conditions but also to rising insecurity. Criminal gangs are known to extort protection fees from miners, further fueling banditry and violence in affected regions.
The latest tragedy in Plateau State has once again raised urgent questions about mine safety standards, regulatory oversight, and the enforcement of mining laws in Nigeria’s resource-rich but often hazardous mining sector.
Investigations into the cause of the explosion are ongoing.
