Icolo e bengo: The Civil Protection and Firefighters (SPCB) in the province of Icolo e Bengo recovered on Tuesday the bodies of three young people buried in a local aggregate extraction mine, SPCB spokesperson Juasir Piedade told ANGOP on Wednesday. According to Angola Press News Agency, two of the deceased were minors under 14 years of age, and one was 28 years old. All three were Angolan nationals who were found lifeless under enormous quantities of sand. The incident generated strong commotion at the site, as relatives of the victims, who reside in the surrounding neighborhoods, witnessed the rescue process and the removal of the bodies. Piedade said the individuals were temporary workers for a Chinese company that mines aggregates in the area. He lamented that the company did not provide protective equipment or uniforms, leaving the workers vulnerable. The young people were responsible for measuring and determining the quantity of loaders needed to fill truck beds. Sometimes, they did this manually by f illing truck beds without cargo boxes. The fire chief disapproved of this practice frequently carried out by underage youths and appealed to parents to better care for and protect their children. According to Piedade, this is the first recorded case since Icolo e Bengo was elevated to province status.
