The government has closed down mines around Masara area in Migori district after five miners suffocated to death on Wednesday evening.
Eight miners who were trapped in the mine, including three rescuers who tried to remove stuck miners were rushed to local hospitals after suffocating from carbon monoxide.
Attempts to rescue other miners still stuck in the 45 foot hole remained futile after the three rescuers also collapsed.
Migori County Governor Okoth Obado while visiting the scene yesterday said they are set to modernise mining in the county with South African technology to avert further accidents.
“Miners should start forming self help groups and Saccos to help in working closely with the government and donors to avert similar occurrences,” Obado said.
The governor also promised to take care of funeral expenses and pay up the bills of the victims who have been hospitalised.
“We seek to regulate the gold mining sector to remove unethical middle men who exploit miners through bad pricing,” he said.
He also said that no large scale miner will be allowed in the county until the Mining Bill is passed through parliament.
The accident happened after miners tried to pump out water from the hole using a diesel water pump before the fumes choked them when they entered the hole.
A woman who had gone to take porridge to her husband noticed something was amiss when he saw a miner who had managed to crawl outside the hole lying unconscious nearby.
“They took the pump under the mine with the pipe was outside and after pumping out water they tried to re-enter the hole when the tragedy struck,” Francis Okong’o, a miner said.
The rescue process was delayed by a huge crowd that turned at the mines and the continue risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Migori Sub County Commissioner John Fedha said during the temporary closure they will also give the government time to offer protection guidelines to local miners.
“We will give a grace period through the geology department for all miners to have protective gears before they enter in mines to avert such catastrophes,” he said.