WATCH | Nine trapped DRC miners rescued by man with bare hands in VIRAL video

Miners in the Central African country of the Democratic Republic of Congo had a narrow escape after a gold mine collapsed, leaving several men trapped inside it. A video now going viral on social media platforms shows nine miners popping out of the mine while one of their daredevil colleagues, defied the odds by digging with his bare hands to rescue them.

The video starts with two men standing at the face of the artisanal mine located in South Kivu province with debris and rock falling from above, indicating there had been a landslide, following heavy rain. The first man, using a shovel manages to keep the mouth of the mine open while a trapped miner makes his way out with the onlookers cheering wildly.

As soon as the first miner comes out, the other person leaps and begins dredging with his hands to ensure that the others can make it out in time. Soon another one appears, and then another and astonishingly nine men make it out alive and well within the next two minutes.

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"We quickly mobilised people to clear the rubble that was blocking the entrance. It was on the morning of this Saturday... that they managed to save these nine souls," Crispin Kayuka, a local civil society representative was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Though it may seem like a one-off occasion, it is the everyday reality for the miners in the African nation. The only difference is that nobody lost their lives in the particular instance.

Yesterday in DR Congo at around 2pm: artisanal copper miners saving each in Luwowo, in the Muvumboko neighbourhood pic.twitter.com/oCY2qplWKH — Nicolas Niarchos (@PerneInAGyre) March 25, 2023

Most of the individuals in these mines work in subhuman, grinding and degrading conditions. Even in the video, none of the miners could be seen wearing any sort of protective equipment.

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To secure cobalt for the global supply chains, these miners only have pickaxes, shovels, and stretches of rebar to dig and scourge the face of the Earth. The mining industry has transformed Congo, albeit, for the bad.

There has been accelerated deforestation in the country with millions of trees cut every year to make way for the mines. Additionally, the air around the mine becomes hazy and toxic due to no safety measures in place. The already scarce water supplies have become contaminated due to the toxic chemicals released by the mines in the water bodies.

(With inputs from agencies)

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