Wet weather and substandard construction claimed the lives of more than a dozen subterranean employees.
Authorities recently investigated what caused an underground mine to collapse and kill at least 22 workers at Bariadi, 500km north of Dodoma.
Deceased individuals were aged between 24 and 38. Victims were widely reported to have been stuck in heavy rainfall and a landslide.
“As we close the rescue operations the death toll remains 22, all men. We are convinced that there are no more bodies trapped in the rubble,” fire and rescue acting commander Faustine Mtitu said according to Agence France Presse.
The small-scale gold operation had only commenced extraction two weeks prior without regulatory approval. Investigators declared the mine was unsafe, unregulated and unlawful.
“The regional mining officer visited them and stopped them from mining as it was working on the required procedures,” Bariadi district commissioner Simon Simalenga said according to Reuters.
The group continued extracting minerals, resulting in a cave-in that buried them alive.
