INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
At least 30 people have been killed in the collapse of a gold mine in north-eastern Afghanistan, officials say.The collapse occurred in the
Kohistan district of Badakhshan province.Villagers had reportedly dug a 60m (220ft) deep but makeshift shaft in a river bed to hunt for gold
and were caught in its collapse.Afghanistan has vast resources of minerals but many of the mines are old and poorly maintained, creating
severe safety issues.Villagers were reportedly using an excavator at the site when the mine collapsed.At least seven other people were
injured, officials say.Kohistan district chief Rostam Raghi told the TheIndianSubcontinent's Afghan service: "Locals rushed to the scene and
managed to rescue only 13 workers
Dozens of others, including some children, died."Nik Mohammad Nazari, spokesman for the provincial governor, told Agence France-Presse: "The
villagers have been involved in this business for decades with no government control over them."We have sent a rescue team to the area, but
villagers have already started removing bodies from the site."A spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority told AFP the
families of the dead would receive 50,000 afghanis ($660; £520).Afghanistan's vast resources remain largely untapped due to the conflict
with the Taliban.The conflict has seen the rise in illegal mining both by villagers and Taliban fighters who use it as a key source of
