At least five people have been confirmed dead after an illegal mining pit collapsed at Mayo Kam community in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon while miners were working at the site, trapping several people underground.

The exact number of casualties remains unclear, although reports indicate that as many as 20 people may have been trapped.

Victor Mshelizah, spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, confirmed on Friday that five people had so far been found dead.

He said rescue operations were ongoing to determine whether more people remained trapped.

“It’s at an illegal mining site at Mayo Kam community under Bali local government,” Mshelizah said.

“So far, only five people have been confirmed dead. But we are trying to find out if there are more people trapped, so we can rescue them.”

He added that police personnel had been deployed to the site since Thursday.

The incident has thrown the community into mourning, with most of the victims reportedly being indigenes of the area.

The tragedy comes days after 37 suspected illegal miners died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.

Following the Niger deaths, the Federal Government suspended the state NSCDC commandant, Suberu Aniviye, and ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.