The House of Representatives has called for urgent rescue of miners trapped in the deep mining pit at Galadiman Kogo mining site in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Rep. Ismail Modibo (APC-Niger) during plenary in Abuja on Thursday.
Presenting his motion, Modibo said that on June 3 over a hundred miners working with Africa Mineral and Logistics Company Ltd. were trapped within a rocky mining pit.
He also said that all efforts to rescue the victims have so far proved in vain, necessitating immediate intervention by the federal and state distress response.
He expressed concern over the report of the death of many miners during the rescue operations, adding that there was need for the deployment of more Special Rescue Experts to the site
This, according to him, is to prevent the victims from further loss of life, adding that the lack of adequate safety measures and emergency equipment by the mining companies led to the unfortunate situation.
Adopting the motion, the House called on the Ministry of Solid Minerals to deploy more Emergency Response Specialists to the mining site without delay, for effective and successful rescue operations.
The House urged its Committee on Solid Minerals to investigate the operational eligibility of Africa Minerals and Logistics Company Ltd.
The House also called investigation into the the underlying causes of the accident and a review of the current mining safety regulations. (NAN)
