A 30-year-old miner was electrocuted in a mining site in a tragedy in Kagwat village in Kanyango sub-location within Kowidi location, Homa Bay County.
Police said Phillip Odhiambo had entered inside one of the mining site holes to get the motor he was using in the mining out but suddenly he was electrocuted. The incident happened Sunday.
Efforts to assist him were futile and the body was moved to the Rachuonyo South sub-county hospital morgue for postmortem,
The area has deposits of gold that attract pockets of miners for a living.
Fatal incidents at the sites have been on the rise. There are tens of mining sites which are poorly managed which lead to the deaths and injuries.
Officials say some of the miners use heavy machines to crush stones in their artisanal activities, overlooking the environmental impact.
As part of efforts to address the menace, which is common at such sites in Migori, Kakamega, Nandi and Isiolo, government officials have always directed those involved in the mining activities to stop operations for the National Environmental Management Authority to conduct an environmental impact assessment to give the ecological guidelines before mining operations can resume.
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