Dj Vnyash
At least four people have been confirmed dead, and one person critically injured following a collapse at a gold mine in the Lami Nyeusi area of West Pokot County. The incident occurred on Tuesday, December 17, around 5 a.m., while more than ten miners were extracting gold ores from a strip pit.
The deceased include three men and one woman, while the injured individual sustained limb injuries. Authorities confirmed that the bodies were taken to Kapenguria County Hospital mortuary, and the injured person was also rushed to the same facility.
West Pokot County Police Commander Nelson Omwenga stated that the death toll could rise as more people remain trapped under the rubble. A rescue operation, led by General Service Unit (GSU) officers, is ongoing to recover all victims.
Omwenga urged families of the victims to remain patient as the rescue efforts continue. This tragedy follows another similar incident in Marsabit County just a week ago, where six people died and ten others were injured in the collapse of an illegal gold mine. The mine had been shut down by the government for security reasons.
The Hillo gold mine in Dabel, Marsabit, had been closed by the government after several fatalities occurred, and in July, two police officers were killed during an attempted invasion by over 3,000 people who disregarded the closure. Despite police efforts to control the situation, locals overpowered the officers, using crude weapons to force their way onto the site.
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