At least four people died from suffocation in an abandoned gold mine in Ruga village, Kowidi Location, Rachuonyo South on Monday afternoon.
Officials said the miners had ventured the 900-feet deep site without oxygen-supporting equipment during an unauthorized mining expedition, officials said. According to reports, the four men entered the mine, which had been abandoned for three years, without first informing the owner.
Witnesses said there were five miners at site and only four of them proceeded into the shaft, while the fifth man remained at the entrance.
“The deceased ventured into the mine without any tools or oxygen-supporting equipment, relying solely on a rope to descend,” Homa Bay County Police Commander Hassan Barua.
He said the fifth miner at the entrance noticed that the rope had stopped moving and, after calling out but receiving no response, realised something was wrong. He then raised the alarm.
Barua urged those interested in mining activities to always seek professional advice and ensure that safety precautions are in place.
The bodies were retrieved and taken to Rachuonyo South Sub-County Mortuary.
Such incidents have been on the rise at mining sites.
The government has been closing some of the sites as part of efforts to address the menace.
They have been told to stop using heavy machinery at the sites.
These machineries make the sites weak and unsafe for the miners.
The majority of the gold mining activities are done by small and medium enterprise miners who have been exposed to unsafe practices in the mining extraction processes.
Those engaged in extracting the precious mineral have always defied government bans on mining, especially during rainy seasons arguing that it is the only activity in the region that enables them to put food on the table.
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