Two people died after a gold mine shaft collapsed at Onyatta ‘C’ village in Bondo sub-county on the evening of Wednesday, October 13, 2021.
Witnesses present at the scene revealed that the two, John Peter Obilo and his colleague, only identified as Kibaki, were killed after a shaft in the mines caved in.
Bondo Deputy Commissioner Richard Karani stated that he received reports from locals that two miners had been trapped, and responded to the scene of the incident where rescue operations were underway.
File image of a collapsed mine in Siaya. |Photo| Courtesy|
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Speaking to Radio Ramogi, the police boss revealed that the mine was undocumented and unlicensed, therefore, the deceased were carrying out an illegal operation.
He called upon relevant stakeholders and locals to ensure that all the mines in the region are documented, licensed, and have all safety measures put in place for the sake of miners.
“We are going to conduct an inspection to audit all mining sites in the sub-county to ensure they meet the safety standards,” Karani said.
The bodies of the two have since been retrieved and moved to the Bondo sub-county hospital mortuary.
In April, another gold mine collapsed in Masambra village, Ugenya sub county, Siaya County killing three people.
Two other miners were rushed to Siaya County Referral Hospital with serious injuries where they underwent treatment.
The incident occurred a month after the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) banned gold mining in parts of Bondo and Rarieda subcounties in Siaya.
The ban followed reports that some Tanzanian nationals were using poisonous chemicals to extract the mineral in the area.
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