12 feared dead in Tanzania mine collapse

From The Jerusalem Post, Jerusalam, Isreal
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

At least 12 people were feared dead after a small gold-mining pit collapsed Sunday in Tanzania's northwest, officials said Monday.

The mine collapsed Sunday near the southern edge of Lake Victoria 90 kilometers west of the town of Mwanza. A regional commissioner in Mwanza, James Msekela, said Monday that rescue workers were still trying to extricate the bodies.

"We're here to assist in the investigations and quickly retrieve the bodies and rescue the survivors," Msekela said by phone.

He said 12 families reported relatives missing. But illegal miners often enter the mines without registering their names, so the death toll could be higher.