A miner was killed after an explosion went off at a gold mining site in Masara, Migori County. The incident happened on Saturday September 27, 2025 after an explosion set off intentionally went off in a tunnel.
The miner is said to have suffocated in the tunnel after the explosion. The manager at the site set off the explosion to excavate gold.
By then, all miners had left the tunnel for their safety as a norm, witnesses told police.
Police and witnesses said after the explosion went off, one Charles Okongo, 28 rushed into the tunnel with an aim of collecting gold sand.
It was then he suffocated therein and was discovered by other miners who had followed him minutes later. He was rescued and rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The site attracts dozens of miners who venture there for the minerals. Locals later invaded the site and vandalised property in reaction to the incident.
They accused the management of destroying property by using the explosives. The foreign national was rescued from the site as a mob bayed for his blood.
Police said he was arrested pending investigations into the incident. The site is managed by a foreigner.
The foreigner was accused of detonating an
unauthorsed explosive at the gold mine.
The body of the victim was taken to a local mortuary pending an autopsy and other investigations. Such deaths at gold mining sites have been on the rise amid efforts to address the trend.
Most miners lack protective equipment to enhance their work. Officials have been running a campaign to address the menace which is rampant in Migori, Kakamega, Siaya and West Pokot Counties.
The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has been
leading in the campaign for safe mining of the minerals in several parts of the
country amid a surge in the deaths.
Police say most of the deaths are under probe while others have been solved.
A special police squad has been created to focus on the mining sector.
