Three killed after collapse of gold mine in Bondo
Three weeks ago, six female gold miners died after a prohibited gold mine collapsed in Lumba village
Three artisanal miners were yesterday killed after an abandoned gold mine collapsed on them in Nyaguda area of Bondo in Siaya County.
Reports indicate that the mining shaft collapsed at around 6 pm when the trio were conducting activities inside the shaft.
Efforts to save the three by fellow gold miners were not futile, as they were all found dead.
Addressing the media hours after the tragic occurrence, the area village elder revealed that the gold miners were in the process of reopening the abandoned site when it suddenly caved in and buried them alive.
The three, aged 21, 33, and 35, were from the same village.
The bodies were moved to the Bondo County Hospital, awaiting postmortem.
This is among the latest incidents where miners have been buried alive after the gold mine shafts collapsed while the miners were in them.
Three weeks ago, six female gold miners died after a prohibited gold mine collapsed in Lumba Village, Rarieda of Siaya County.
Confirming the tragedy, Lumba Village Chief Caroline Oginga disclosed that the six had, on several occasions, been warned against mining activities at the site.
However, according to Oginga, despite the warnings, the women went ahead to conduct their mining activities inside the 15-foot shaft, only to be buried alive.
“They had been cautioned against accessing the mining site but failed to heed the warning and were immediately buried inside,” said Oginga.
“When I arrived, I found they had already been retrieved. It was a site that had been left for women to mine without any permit, it was just someone’s farm that they had invaded to extract gold,” she added.
In January this year, Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho issued a stern warning to illegal foreigners and Kenyans engaged in illegal mining, threatening prosecution and jail terms.
According to the CS, the government will not only take action against illegal miners but also against people enabling the activities, like people who lease business spaces to house illegally mined minerals.
