Nigeria Mine Blast Kills 38 Miners in Plateau State, Toxic Gas Blamed

Morning work at a mining pit in central Nigeria turned into catastrophe on Wednesday after a deadly gas explosion killed at least 38 miners and left 27 others injured in Plateau State, officials said.

The blast struck the Kampanin Zurak mining site in the Bashar district between 7:30 and 8 am, when dozens of workers were already underground. What followed was panic, desperate rescue attempts and a grim count of bodies pulled from the pit. A confidential security report later blamed carbon monoxide poisoning, pointing to a toxic build-up of gas before the explosion.

Acting traditional ruler Alhaji Aliyu Adamu Idris confirmed the scale of the disaster, saying the mine - operated by Solid Unit Nigeria Limited - quickly overwhelmed local hospitals. "Thirty-eight people are confirmed dead and about 27 others have been taken for treatment," he said, as emergency teams and villagers worked side by side at the site.

Miner Ibrahim Dattijo Sani, who works at a nearby pit, described the moment the explosion hit. "People were inside the pits when the gas exploded. We tried to rescue them, but many did not survive," he said.

The tragedy has once again exposed the dangers faced by miners in Nigeria's informal and semi-regulated mining sector. Plateau state, like several other mining regions, has recorded repeated fatal accidents over the years. Just months ago, at least 18 miners were killed in Zamfara state when a boulder collapsed on an illegal site during heavy rain.

As families in Kampanin Zurak prepare for burials, questions are mounting over safety measures, monitoring of toxic gases and the cost of weak oversight in Nigeria's mining industry - where a day's work can quickly turn deadly.