Two miners have been confirmed dead while four others are still trapped after a 200-foot gold mine in Naduat, Turkana, collapsed on Tuesday, November 19.
Two more victims have also been pulled out, with one surviving victim having his arm amputated after rescuers were unable to move a boulder pinning him down.
Security forces as well as the Kenya Red Cross are said to be at the scene conducting rescue operations and have confirmed that four more people are still trapped in the mine.
Rescue operations by the locals started on Tuesday, and they were able to retrieve three miners. Efforts to rescue the rest were unsuccessful, and they were left in the mine overnight.
“We rescued three yesterday and brought them to the Lodwar Hospital. We left three in there, and we found that two had already died. The other one was trapped under a rock. We tried to set him free up until midnight but were not able to,” one of the rescuers narrated.
A witness who survived the collapse told journalists that the mine split into two, instantly killing his two colleagues and trapping several others on one end, while he and others luckily escaped death by being on the safe side.
“The one whose hand was cut was behind me. We also had three children, and he was near them. We were on the other side,” he stated.
This victim’s father stated that he had severally warned his son against going into the mine but he was adamant about trying his luck and needing to follow his colleagues in.
The bodies of the two who passed away at the mine have been transported to the Lodwar County Referral Hospital.
The Nodiat Mining site was closed indefinitely in April this year for contravening the Mining Act 2016 regulations that provide that "a person shall not engage in artisanal mining operations unless the person has been granted an artisanal mining permit."
A joint operation comprising regular Kenya Police led by the Officer Commanding KaKuma Station, Vincent Ekiru Kamais, and the county’s law enforcement team led by the Director of Inspectorate, Julius Wasama, swiftly acted, closing the mine indefinitely and arresting the owner.
This action followed concerns raised by the members of the Naduat community over the consistent blasting operations, non-compliance with the mining requirements, and safety standards of the workers.
