Nine miners have died after a mining pit at Zurfi Mining Company in Nahuta Village, Gwana District, Alkaleri Local Government Area, Bauchi State, was flooded following heavy rainfall.
The incident reportedly occurred at Pit Three of the mining site on September 25, 2026, while contract miners were working underground.
The Bauchi Police Command spokesman, SP Nafiu Habib, confirmed the incident, saying the miners were trapped when water from the heavy downpour entered the pit.
Habib said one of the victims, identified as Abner, was electrocuted during the incident and taken to General Hospital, Kashere, in Akko Local Government Area of neighbouring Gombe State, where he was pronounced dead.
He said the Divisional Police Officer in Alkaleri led a team of detectives to the site, where they deployed three water-pumping generators to drain the flooded pit and support the rescue operation.
According to him, eight other miners were later brought out of the pit and rushed to the same hospital, but they were all pronounced dead by doctors.
The deceased were identified as Hamidu Ali, 40; Saidu Abubakar, 29; Olije Abdulrazak, 25; Musa Abdullahi, 29; Abdulrahman Mu’azu, 23; Jafar Abbas, 24; Jose Ukese, 28; and Haruna Alkali, 30.
The victims were from Nasarawa, Kogi, Bauchi and Kebbi states.
Habib said the bodies were released to their relatives after post-mortem examinations for burial according to Islamic and Christian rites.
He added that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident was ongoing.