Zimbabwean rescuers pull out eight trapped miners alive

A rescued artisanal miner is carried from a pit as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

BATTLEFIELDS, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwean rescuers pulled out eight illegal gold miners alive on Saturday out of about 70 people who were earlier this week trapped in flooded shafts, in accident that the government has declared a disaster, officials and witnesses said.

The accident in Battlefields, 175 km (109 miles) west of Harare, happened on Tuesday night and has shone a light on the dangers facing illegal gold miners, who last year contributed a large part of Zimbabwe's record 33 tonne bullion output.