Four trapped miners have died in Kakamega county after a gold mine collapsed in western Kenya. The incident which happened in the early hours of Thursday had 12 artisanal workers trapped.
After several hours of digging by community members, eight of them were rescued by the morning.
According to the authorities, the unlicensed miners were operating at an aged mining tunnel.
“What they are doing is risking their lives and most of the people here are mostly youth who are doing this work. Due to the unemployment problem, people are putting their hands on anything that can put food on their table,” Kakamega county commissioner John Ondego said.
Ondego added that mining at night time will no longer be allowed. Incidents of collapsed mines are rampant in parts of western Kenya.
In 2020, four miners were killed and 15 injured after gold mine collapsed in Migori.