Several gold miners are feared dead in Shinyalu, Kakamega County, after the walls of a mine they were excavating collapsed on Monday evening.
A search and rescue operation is underway at a gold mine in Museno village, Kakamega County, where at least 12 artisanal miners are trapped in a shaft after the walls of the mine collapsed on them.
More than 20 miners were working in the shaft at the time of the accident, but rescuers managed to pull 8 of them out during a rescue operation by villagers and police on Monday night.
A gold mine collapse in Shinyalu, Kakamega County, has left several miners trapped and feared dead.
Photo credit: Ouko Okusah | Nation
Confirming the incident, Shinyalu Sub-County Police Commander Daniel Makumbu said the search and rescue operation would continue until all the missing miners are accounted for.
"We urge residents to exercise patience and caution as the search operation continues. The area around the collapsed shaft is fragile and we won't allow people to congregate near the site to avoid further casualties," Mukumbu said.
Patrick Mukhule, chairperson of the Western Regional Rescue Team, said the men who were rescued earlier were not injured.
"The accident happened at about 6 pm on Monday and rescue operations started immediately. We managed to rescue eight people who were not affected in any way. But we are afraid that some of the remaining miners may have died by now," said Mukhule.
According to Mukhule, a team of young men are making their way to the collapsed shaft in an attempt to reach the trapped men.
"We are talking to them on the phone and the situation is not good. Some of them may not be alive," he added.
Kakamega County has one of the largest mining operations in Western Kenya, with huge gold deposits in areas around Lurambi, Shinyalu and Ikolomani sub-counties.
Almost every month, reports of deaths of artisanal miners in one of the country's mines hit the headlines.
In January this year, three miners suffocated after a gold mine collapsed in Ikolomani.
There are around 8,000 miners working illegally in the county, putting their lives and the environment at risk.
