Three women conducting mining activities at Nathenje river bank in Lilongwe have died after being trapped in mining holes when land collapsed and fell on them in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Chadza in Lilongwe.

Police have identified the deceased as 26 year old Rosemary Chimbereko and 43 year old Mtamandika Chipira both of Mazinga village, and Rofina Jackson aged 36 of Kachikho village, all form T/A Chadza in Lilongwe.

Lilongwe Police spokesperson Kingsley Dandaula told Malawi News Agency that on Saturday while in the company of their friends, the deceased went to Nathenje river bank to mine precious stones (Lodrite) when the disaster struck.

“In the course of digging, the river bank land collapsed on them and all efforts from their friends to rescue them proved futile. Postmortem conducted revealed the three died of suffocation,” said Dandaula.

He has since urged the general public to refrain from engaging in dangerous activities.

“As in the case here, people dig holes and enter under the earth in search of precious stones. This is a very dangerous thing. On the other hand, it is also illegal to conduct mining activities without a mining license,” said Dandaula.