Thirty-eight metal miners were killed on Tuesday morning following an explosion at a lead mine in Plateau State, central Nigeria, local sources told Agence France-Presse.

“Thirty-eight people have been confirmed dead, and 27 others were rushed to hospital,” local chieftain Andamou Idris told the French news agency.

A miner who visited the scene, Ibrahim Datizo Sani, said the explosion occurred between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. local time and confirmed the death toll.

“We were close to the site. People were inside the mine tunnels, and suddenly there was a gas explosion,” Sani said in a telephone interview with the agency.

“We did everything we could to save them, but unfortunately, 38 people died and others were taken to hospital,” he added.

Plateau State is the historic centre of Nigeria’s mining industry, though production has declined sharply in recent years.