MIDWEEK REPORTER
PENHALONGA-Lovemore Chirimo (25) of Saligna Compound, Allied Timbers under Chief Mutasa in Penhalonga died from suffocation in a mine shaft on Valentine’s Day.
Manicaland province acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka told The Midweek Watch that on the fateful day at around 9pm, Lovemore went down a shaft at Tyler Redwing Mine in Pehalonga which is 20m deep to mine for gold.
Just after landing underground Lovemore started calling out to his colleagues to be pulled out of the shaft as he was suffocating after inhaling noxious gases.
Paddington Matingo (29) of Sahumani Village under Chief Mutasa and Tanatswa Mukanganise (22) of Tsvingwe suburb in Penhalonga who are fellow artisanal miners tried to rescue Lovemore but he had already died from suffocation.
With the assistance of other artisanal miners, they managed to pull out Lovemore’s body and the matter was reported to Penhalonga police who took the body to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital mortuary for a postmortem.
Chinyoka warned artisanal miners from engaging in risky mining ventures to avoid unnecessary loss of lives.
