A MINING disaster in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West Province, has claimed the lives of four miners after a shaft at Rowdy Mine collapsed, trapping workers underground.

Rescue teams recovered the final two bodies on Saturday morning after an overnight operation, bringing the death toll to four.

The accident happened on Thursday at the mine, commonly known as paJudha, situated opposite the Mashonaland West Provincial Heroes Acre on the outskirts of Chinhoyi, which falls under Zvimba North constituency.

Zvimba District Civil Protection Unit chairperson Joseph Manyurapasi confirmed the fatalities.

According to Manyurapasi, eight miners were underground when the shaft gave way. Four managed to escape and alerted authorities, triggering an emergency response.

“At the time of the collapse, eight miners were working underground. Four escaped, while four were trapped,” he said.

He added that rescuers worked continuously through the night in an effort to reach the remaining miners.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) identified the site as Rowdy Boys 4 Mine and said the collapse occurred at a depth of about 100 metres.

Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland West, Marian Chombo, visited the scene on Friday to monitor the recovery efforts and offer support to the bereaved families.

In an update issued on Saturday, authorities confirmed that the last two trapped miners had been brought to the surface, concluding the retrieval operation.

Investigations have been launched to determine what caused the shaft to collapse.

Officials have since called on mining companies across the district to strictly observe occupational safety standards in order to avoid similar tragedies.