Three bodies recovered after gold mine shaft collapses in Siaya

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Three people have died in a gold mining accident in Ogago village, Bondo subcounty in Siaya county.

Police said the bodies were retrieved on Sunday after two days of search.

One body had been recovered on Sunday morning after the Saturday morning incident.

The recovery efforts for the other two continued to evening when they were found, police said.

According to police, the mining shaft collapsed on Saturday morning at around 8.30am, trapping three miners identified as Erick Omondi, 40, Brandon Onyango, 25 and Amos Ouma, 48.

Authorities confirmed that the body of Onyango was retrieved from the collapsed shaft during the rescue operations. The other two were found hours later and had started to decompose, police said.

Police said the deceased sustained severe injuries, including an amputated right foot from the ankle, multiple head injuries, and bruises across the body.

The bodies were moved to the Bondo Sub-County Hospital mortuary for preservation and postmortem examination.

Locals demanded to be allowed to view the bodies before they were taken to the mortuary for preservation.

Police said investigations into the incident are ongoing as concerns continue to grow over safety standards in artisanal gold mining sites across the region.

Such incidents have been common at gold mining sites in the country.

Last week, 15 miners were killed at a similar site in West Pokot county.

The miners were in a site when it suddenly caved in trapping them fatally.

It has taken authorities days to reach and recover the bodies.

Officials have been calling on managers of the sites to ensure there are safety measures in place to ensure those venturing are safe.

This follows persistent accidents at the sites that have left dozens of miners dead and others wounded.

The sites are increasingly attracting a large number of miners oblivious of the dangers lying ahead. The miners are searching for a living amid efforts to ensure their safety.

Such accidents are common at sites in Kakamega, Migori, Homa Bay, West Pokot, Narok, Nandi, Marsabit and Vihiga.

The government had created a police unit to focus on the mining activities but the personnel there complain of interference from elsewhere which has affected their mandates.

Meanwhile, recovery teams on Sunday May 10 evening retrieved the body of an unidentified man from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kajiado North subcounty.

Police said the body was recovered at about 7.45pm following an extensive excavation operation at the scene within the Oloolua.

The scene was processed before the body was moved to Ngong Sub-County Hospital mortuary awaiting identification and postmortem examination.

Officials said recovery operations for more bodies were still ongoing at the site as rescue teams continued searching through the debris for possible additional victims.

At least four people were trapped after an eight-storey building under construction partially collapsed at Ole Nairi area in Oloolua, Kajiado North, officials said.

The incident happened Saturday morning, officials from the National Disaster Management Unit said.

The emergency response team together with police said the situation was worsening and needed to be handled with extreme caution as efforts continue to rescue the four believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.

Authorities warned that the remaining section of the building was at risk of further collapse, posing a major challenge to the ongoing operation.

Heavy rains being experienced in the area are also hindering the rescue mission. Residents called for a faster response process in hopes of saving those still trapped.

Kenya Red Cross said a multi-agency response team was on site conducting recovery efforts, supported by an excavator.

This is the latest such incident amid efforts to address the menace in the construction sector.

Dozens of people are annually killed in such tragedies. There are calls for parties to follow rules for safety of workers in such situations.