Four boys died in Mabatani Kombane, Kwale County after they were buried alive by sand from a quarry.
The Star Newspaper reports that Kassim Salim and Shaban Ali, both 11, Juma Muhamed ,12, and 8 year old Ismael Ali were cleaning up for prayers at a mosque when sand fell and trapped them.
Another boy, 10year old Mohamed Ali survived and was rescued after being trapped in the sand for about an hour.
Area governor Salim Mvurya has since ordered the closure of the quarry. He asked county Land executive Ali Mafimbo to ensure that all quarries in the area are flattened.
Both he and National Lands Commission Chair Mohamed Swazuri blamed sand harvesters in the region for such accidents faulting them for leaving quarries unattended.
