Rescue efforts are underway in a remote village in northern Ethiopia where more than 20 artisanal miners are trapped inside a cave.
It’s been three days since a narrow cave collapsed on the miners in the Delanta district.
Local officials are uncertain about the exact number of the trapped miners, who were looking for precious opal gemstones.
Local authorities have told the BBC that the area’s steep landscape has complicated their rescue efforts.
Hundreds of locals are trying to dig openings for the miners, as the village’s landscape has made it difficult to get support from machines.
Rescue attempts have so far been unsuccessful, but the authorities remain hopeful of finding survivors.
The officials said that in a previous incident, a miner was found alive after he was buried inside the cave for seven days.
“We, residents, have been working on shifts, day and night, for the past few days to remove the rocks but it is very hard, says Tesfaye Agazh in Ethiopia’s Delanta district.
He is among hundreds of of locals trying desperately to free more than 20 miners who became trapped in a cave three days ago while looking for opals.
“Days on, there is still a lot to dig and it doesn’t seem like we are getting any closer,” Mr Tesfaye tells the BBC.
“We are hoping we will get survivors but we know it is a mere chance.
“We are not stopping until we find them whether alive or dead.”