Eight miners were killed after their mining pit was filled with rainwater in Tanzania's northwestern region of Geita, police said. Safia Jongo, the Geita regional police commander, on Saturday said the accident occurred at 3:30 a.m. local time at Igando village in Magenge ward in the region, reputed for gold mining.
"After the water filled in the mining pit, the miners could not trace their way out," said Jongo, adding that they died from suffocation. She said the miners were mining gold in a mine that has been prohibited by authorities because of poor security, Xinhua news agency reported. Jongo said all eight bodies have been recovered and identified by their relatives.