New Delhi: A video of trapped miners coming out of a collapsed gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo has gone viral on the internet with netizens expressing joy after watching the entire incident. The onlookers could be heard shouting in utter happiness in the video as miners tumble out of the rubble one by one.
The video shows a man digging the steep slope of the rubble with a spade putting his life in danger as the slides continue to occur. Suddenly, some miners start popping out of the space made by the man as he keeps on digging with a spade and his hands.
People around the miners start cheering them as the men intensify the digging and keep pulling other miners to rescue them safely. Within minutes, nine miners came out of the hole unexpectedly.
According to a Reuters report, mining accidents are on the rise in the giant Central African country, especially at small, artisanal sites such as the one in South Kivu province that collapsed on Saturday following heavy rain.
Reuters claimed to have verified the video. It added that a lack of safety procedures and proper equipment are the prime cause behind the frequent tunnel collapses at Congolese mines, in which miners are trapped underground with nearly nil chances of survival.
In another such event, as reported by Reuters, two miners died at an informal digging site in early March.
"We quickly mobilized people to clear the rubble that was blocking the entrance. It was on the morning of this Saturday... that they managed to save these nine souls," local civil society representative Crispin Kayuka told Reuters via telephone.