A miner was killed after a mining tunnel collapsed in Mwatate, Taita Taveta.
The incident happened on Saturday August 24 at night as a group of miners scavenged for green garnet, police said.
Police who visited the scene said two miners were in the tunnel when the walls caved in trapping them.
One miner managed to escape while one was trapped.
The operation to rescue him was called off due to darkness.
The operation resumed on Sunday morning.
This is the latest such incident to happen at mining sites amid calls for safety measures to address the trend.
Hundreds of youth venture into the tunnels for gold and other minerals to earn a living.
Officials however say the tunnels where the miners venture are unsafe for their operations.
The officials say the miners use heavy machines to crush stones in their artisanal activities, overlooking the environmental impact.
As part of efforts to address the menace, government officials have always directed those involved in 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.
Nema officials were directed to carry out the environmental impact assessment and give reports at the sites as part of efforts to address the safety measures.
The gold miners are also ordered to seek licenses from all the relevant government authorities before embarking on the work.
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.
Plans are underway to regulate the activities at the sites.
The area is among many sites that have attracted a huge number of youths who are scavenging for the mineral for a living.
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