Three people were killed on Saturday when a mining pit collapsed in Enyim Agalegu, a community in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria’s South-east.

Apart from the deceased victims, four other people were injured during the incident.

The pit was said to be under the mining lease of First Patriots Limited, formerly known as Royal Salt, and that illegal mining activities were allegedly ongoing in the area.

The National Chairperson of Enyim Agalegu Edukwu Opeke Federated Union, Collins Oboke, confirmed the incident to reporters at the scene of the incident on Sunday.

Mr Oboke said he visited the place after receiving a distress call around 4 p.m. on Saturday, in which the caller informed him that the pit had collapsed in on miners.

The national chairperson explained that upon arrival, he mobilised community members to the scene.

“We evacuated some overburden on top of some lifeless people, like three of them, and we rescued about four that were injured,” he said.