“Dead miners buried under 350 thousand tones of rubble, retrieving bodies will take time”

The Mines Safety Department -MSD-says retrieval efforts have been intensified but it will take time before the bodies of the four trapped miners at Mopani Copper Mines -MCM- are retrieved.

MSD Director Gideon Ndalama says the trapped bodies are still buried under 350 thousand tones of rubble.

Mr Ndalama says rescuers have so far managed to remove a paltry two Thousand tones of rubble from the accident scene.

He says the rubble is being pulled out steadily as rescuers are carefully examining all debris from underground with the hope of finding the trapped bodies.

Mr Ndalama disclosed this during morning live a News and Current Affairs program at ZNBC Kitwe studious on Thursday.

The Department said rescuers are working on a 24 hour basis as they have a lot of ground to remove from the mine before anybody is retrieved.

Meanwhile, the Mines Safety Department has maintained that Zambian mines are safe.

Mr. Ndalama said inspectors from the department last inspected the South Ore Body shaft two weeks ago.

He said the MSD has retrieved vital information from Mopani Mines and

is analyzing the data that includes log books to ascertain the possible cause of Sunday’s accident.