Twenty-two people have died following a landslide at an illegal mine in northern Tanzania, officials said.

The incident occurred at Ng’alita mine in Bariadi district, Simiyu region on Saturday, district commissioner Simon Simalenga said.

It occurred after a group of people started mining in an area where activity was restricted due to heavy rains, he told Reuters news agency.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her “great sadness” at the news.

“These fellow Tanzanians were small miners in the area, trying to earn a living for themselves, their families,” she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

-BBC