A fire broke out early on Sunday morning at a gold processing area in Katsina State, destroying several shops and causing casualties.
The fire started while some people were still asleep and others were preparing to begin their daily work of washing and processing gold.
A local radio station in the state, Alfijir Radio, reported that a resident who spoke about the incident said two people were believed to have been caught in the fire.
According to him, one person was injured, while only one body had been recovered at the time of the report.
The fire destroyed almost all the shops that sell tools and materials used by thousands of young workers involved in gold processing in the area. These items are used to process gold mined from the forests west of the town.
Dantsuntsu town is located in the western part of Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Beyond the town, there are mostly farmlands stretching towards the Zamfara forest with no major settlements.
The forest area is where rocks and soil believed to contain gold are mined.
These materials are then transported into the town on motorcycles for processing.
Inside the town, there are hundreds of grinding machines used to crush the rocks, while young workers wash the crushed materials to extract gold.
People from different parts of Nigeria travel to the area to take part in the gold mining business. Workers from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad and Cameroon are also involved in the activity.
No official statement had been made at press time.
Fire kills miners, destroys shops at Katsina gold processing site
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