Seven miners, including two Chinese nationals, are presently in a flooded mine in Zambia’s Copperbelt province since yesterday, Monday, January 22.
They were among the staff working at the Chinese-owned Macrolink copper mine in Ndola city, close to the border with DR Congo.
According to reports, the miners were trapped underground after water trickled into the mine, which is still under construction.
The Chinese embassy in Zambia has released a statement saying that it was already mobilising rescue specialists.
Macrolink had momentarily suspended operations at the mine, a Zambian state broadcaster reported.
The incident is coming barely a month after landslides sunk dozens of other miners at Seseli Mine in Chingola, a city located north-west of Lusaka.
The fate of about 30 miners who went missing in the mudslide is still unknown, despite the efforts of after emergency services to locate them.
Augustine Kasongo, a senior government official in Copperbelt province, has reported that one person has been rescued from the mine that flooded on Monday, local media reported.
As at the time of making this report, rescue teams are attempting to pump out water from the mine. Reports have that the seven are trapped about 235m (771ft) below the surface.
The two Chinese miners trapped are the mine supervisor and a controller. The remaining five Zambians are allegedly the staff who were working at the shaft bottom of the mine.
