A 44-year old man has been hospitalised after the walls of mining pit he was working in at Santa Rosa-Kwebana Road at Moruca collapsed on Saturday.
Reports are that Herbie Francis of the village of Rincon in Moruca, was working in the pit around midday on Saturday when the walls began to crack. An eyewitness recounted that when the walls of the pit caved in, he saw Francis being buried by the thick mud. Reports are that the mud reached the man’s neck and as the slush rose, rescuers raced to pull him out. He was eventually freed after being trapped for 5 to 10 minutes.
Persons in the area related that Francis was rushed to the Kumaka District Hospital at Santa Rosa where he was admitted a patient. He sustained injuries to his back and lower limbs, a resident of Rincon related. Sources at Kwebana reported that the injured man is expected to be flown to the city for further medical attention on Sunday.
The collapsing of mining pits here is a regular occurrence and although most of them have resulted in casulaties not much has been done by authorities to enforce regulations.
