Hwange (New Ziana) – Hwange has been left in shock after a local woman died when a heap of coal rubble she was illegally extracting coke from collapsed and buried her.

Simelweyinkosi Dube, (31), of Madumabisa Village, was extracting coke from a local dumpsite together with a friend, Bethani Ndlovu, when the freak accident occurred.

Residents of the town regularly fetch coke from the dumpsite for domestic energy use.

According to police, part of the dumpsite collapsed, trapping the two women.

Ndlovu, however, freed herself and survived.

“The deceased was with Bethani Ndlovu illegally extracting coke from a coal dump site. The coal rubble curved in while the two were digging for coke and Ndlovu managed to escape while the now deceased was trapped. A front-end loader was used to dig her out before she was rushed to hospital,” a police spokesperson said.
New Ziana