Reported by: The Agency Media.
Date: 18th June, 2025.
Mufumbwe, North Western, Zambia.

The Zambia Police Service has launched a major operation to curb illegal gold mining activities in the Kikonge and Kakawa areas of Mufumbwe District, following a violent confrontation and a fatal mine collapse that claimed at least eight lives.

The operation, carried out on Sunday, June 15, 2025, between 07:30 and 13:00 hours, targeted illegal miners operating in the Kikonge area. However, the situation escalated when some miners violently resisted eviction, pelting officers with stones and other objects. Seven officers from the School of Public Order Maintenance sustained injuries during the clash.

Among those injured were Inspector Shamenda Mwewa, Constables Macfadin Phiri, Makala Moonga, Braveness Mwape, Patson Mwanja, Purity Shula and Oscar Mizinga. Three officers, Inspector Mwewa, Constable Mwanja and Constable Moonga, sustained deep wounds, while others suffered minor injuries. Constable Mizinga, who sustained head injuries, was transferred to Solwezi General Hospital for specialist care, with the rest treated at Mukinge Mission Hospital.

Although initial efforts appeared to have cleared the illegal operations, intelligence later indicated that some miners had regrouped using hidden bush routes and resumed mining, particularly in the Kakawa Gold Rush area.

Tragedy struck early Tuesday morning, June 17, when a tunnel collapsed around 03:00 hours, burying a number of illegal miners alive. The collapse was reported to police at 10:00 hours by Ms. Trancy Zulu of Mufumbwe’s Zone A, who disclosed that her nephew, Eldred Mulowa, 36, was among the victims.

By 17:45 hours, eight bodies had been recovered from the debris, with fears that more remained trapped underground. Identified among the deceased were:

Eldred Mulowa (36) – Kitwe Township

Peter Malenge (25) – Kandemba, Solwezi

Levinson Phiri (28) – Chipata Compound, Lusaka

Danny Ndala (30) – Kandemba, Solwezi

Four of the victims remain unidentified and their bodies have been taken to the Mufumbwe District Hospital Mortuary, awaiting identification by relatives. Police indicate that 8 to 15 miners may have been buried in total. Rescue and retrieval efforts are ongoing.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the miners were operating in dangerously excavated tunnels beneath an anthill, which ultimately collapsed due to unregulated and unsafe digging practices.

The Zambia Police Service has once again urged the public, especially the youth, to refrain from engaging in illegal mining. The Service emphasized that such activities not only violate the law but also pose severe threats to life and safety.

Authorities reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining law and order, working in collaboration with relevant institutions to bring an end to illegal mining in the country.

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The Agency.