At least eight people, most of them women, have died while five others were injured on Tuesday morning when a gold mine collapsed at Kasalika Village, Sub-Traditional Authority Suza in Kasungu District.
When Malawi News Agency (Mana) visited the site, hundreds of people had gathered alongside district council officials, police, and health authorities.
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Village Headman Ndalama, who witnessed the accident, described it as a huge blow to the community.
“The day started like any other, and we went to the mining site as usual. Suddenly, we heard a loud noise, like a heavy object had fallen, followed by a short cry. We rushed to one of the trenches and found that the walls had collapsed, burying about 13 people,” he said.
He explained that one of the mine owners had been digging a hole using a drilling machine—an activity usually carried out at night.
“The strong vibrations from the drilling machine caused the wall of one trench, about 15 feet high, to collapse on the people who were digging and moving the earth to an open area,” Ndalama added.
Those confirmed dead include Mphatso Sindama, Lydia Mpando, Laban Kawongo, Tiikamawa Dzuwa, Ida Chikondi, Chimangeni Kawongo, Tiyamike Phiri, and Grace Chisale. Five others, including Kaputeni Banda, Gelesoni Chibwenzi, and Nkhako Chilowamatambe, were also affected.
The five injured were rushed to hospital.
Kasungu Police Officer-in-Charge, Obrey Nyirenda, described the mine as a “death trap” and urged safer mining practices.
“We have completed search and rescue operations. These people were not in a tunnel; it was an open pit, and the soil from the top buried them. It was not difficult to locate them. This is not a safe place; trenches are deep, and the drilling machines cause strong vibrations, making it very dangerous for everyone,” Nyirenda said.
“The site should be cordoned off immediately while authorities consider long-term safety measures,” he added.
District Commissioner James Kanyangalazi described the incident as a tragedy.
“It’s heartbreaking to lose eight people at once, some very young. We need to work with local leaders and miners to identify safer ways of conducting mining activities. Meanwhile, we have reported the matter to government through the Department of Disaster Management and the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture. They have assured us that coffins will be provided for all eight victims, and maize will be supplied to support the families, including those who survived,” Kanyangalazi said.
He could not confirm whether the mining was legal, noting that the Ministry of Mining is not yet fully devolved, so councils have limited oversight.
Miner Innocent Mtambo said communities had formed a cooperative to formalize mining operations. He added that gold from the mine is sold to buyers from Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia.
Mining in Kasalika began in 2019, transforming farmland and forests into deep trenches and red-earth pits. At least three other people have died in similar accidents since then.
