A rescue mission turned tragic in Nyamira County after four men were killed when the walls of a pit latrine collapsed during excavation and rescue efforts at a school.
The incident occurred on Friday, July 24, at Chinche Comprehensive School in Chinche Village, Isicha Sublocation, Nyamira North Sub-County.
According to police, Dominic Okundi Nyamanga, 60, was digging the pit latrine with other workers when its walls suddenly caved in, trapping him inside.
Police officers, the Nyamira County Fire Brigade, local administrators and residents rushed to the scene to mount a rescue operation.
Investigators established that another worker, sustained injuries during the initial collapse and was rescued before being admitted to Nyamira County Referral Hospital, where he is in stable condition.
As the rescue operation continued, an excavator was brought in to help retrieve the trapped victim.
Three local residents—Abel Osoro, 35, Dennis Kinanga, 37, and Joseph Nyaega, 34—entered the pit to assist in the recovery efforts.
However, the unstable walls collapsed for a second time, burying all four men inside the pit.
The bodies of Dominic Okundi, Abel Osoro, Dennis Kinanga and Joseph Nyaega were later retrieved using an excavator.
The four bodies were moved to the Nyamira County Referral Hospital mortuary, where they are awaiting post-mortem examinations.
The incident highlights the dangers associated with deep excavation works and rescue operations conducted without adequate structural support or specialised equipment. Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse. Meanwhile, a nine-month-old baby died after a fire swept through a row of semi-permanent houses in Nairobi’s KCC area during the early hours of Saturday.
The blaze broke out at around 1 a.m. in an estate under Mowlem Police Station in Buruburu Sub-County.
According to police, a resident reported hearing screams from the neighbourhood before rushing outside and seeing a huge fire engulfing a plot with one-storey semi-permanent iron-sheet houses.
Firefighters arrived promptly and managed to contain the blaze by about 2 a.m.
Police said the fire claimed the life of nine-month-old who sustained fatal burns.
Household goods of unknown value were also destroyed in the inferno.
The cause of the fire had not been established by the time of filing the report.
Crime scene investigators from Buruburu documented the scene, while the child’s body was moved to the Nairobi Funeral Home mortuary pending a post-mortem examination.
Police have launched investigations to determine the cause of the fire.
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