Trapped Rwandan tungsten miners rescued

The Rwandan government says that three miners trapped at the Nyakabingo tungsten mine since Saturday have been rescued amid calls for improved safety standards in mines.

KIGALI (Reuters) - 

Three Rwandan miners trapped underground since a gallery they were working in collapsed on Saturday have been rescued, the government said on Tuesday.

The miners at Nyakabingo near the capital Kigali were rescued on Monday by police, the local population and other miners who used equipment to move large rocks blocking the passage, Natural Resources Minister Vincent Karega said.

"They've been rescued...they were very tired, they have not eaten," Karega said, adding that two of the miners were under observation at a clinic but that there were no serious injuries.

"It was just an accident...they are operating a very old mine," he told Reuters.

Three miners had a week earlier been crushed to death in a cassiterite and coltan mine in Rutongo, northern Rwanda.

The small landlocked country's mineral sector represents its second largest foreign exchange earner after tourism, bringing in $91.3 million in 2008, according to central bank statistics.

"We will once again call for more serious social security safety measures and more education for the miners on how to rescue themselves when they are in danger," Karega said.

The Rwandan government and foreign companies are investing heavily in the mining sector, hitherto dominated by small-scale artisanal mining. Many mines have lain largely dormant since the end of Belgian colonial rule and are dangerous to rehabilitate.

One miner involved in the rescue efforts said he was concerned about the lack of safety features.

"I am so scared because I don't have enough safety training. We don't have anything for safety we just put on this helmet," he said.

 (Writing by Wangui Kanina; Editing by David Clarke)

© Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved.

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