Two citizens practicing artisanal gold mining died as a result of incidents at the administrative post of Nhampassa, in the district of Báruè, in the province of Manica.

One of the victims died buried in a tunnel, after a section of land collapsed. The other, from Maputo, died on the way to Catandica District Hospital, as a result of injuries sustained when he fell into a well.

According to Mozambique Information Agency (AIM), the area where the prospectors were mining gold belongs to a company called Sociedade Mineira de Nhampassa (SOMINHA). 

According to Ângelo Pinto, the provincial delegate of the General Inspectorate for Mineral Resources and Energy in Manica, the victims were practicing illegal mining in an area where landslides are frequent. In Nhampassa alone, five illegal miners have already died this year.

In Manica province, the districts of Manica, Báruè, Gondola, Sussundenga and Macossa are rich in mineral resources, especially gold. 

The mining sector estimates that more than ten thousand people are involved in illegal gold mining throughout Manica province.