AWENDO: Tragedy struck at a gold mine in Saria village, located in Awendo Location within Migori County, claiming the lives of two artisanal miners on Wednesday.

The miners met their demise when the walls of the shaft collapsed, trapping them underground.

At the time of the incident, eleven artisans were working at the mine. Three of them sustained injuries and were swiftly transported to the hospital, while six others managed to escape unscathed.

Senior Chief Paul Gwada of Awendo Location confirmed the incident, stating that it occurred at a newly established shaft where miners had recently commenced gold extraction.

This unfortunate event comes only a month after another artisanal miner lost his life at a gold mine in Lumba village, Rarieda, after being buried alive when a mine shaft collapsed. Retrieving the victim’s body took an entire month.

Three individuals narrowly escaped a similar fate in the recent tragedy. Evans Ajwala, aged 25, Samson Odhiambo, aged 22, and Vincent Otieno, aged 18, miraculously survived after narrowly avoiding being buried alive alongside their colleague, Kennedy Ouma, aged 19.

Despite their frantic efforts to rescue Kennedy, their attempts were in vain as he became immobile under the weight of the debris. Trapped in the deepest part of the shaft, his silence made it challenging for the rescue team to locate him amidst the darkness.

The survival of the three miners was a narrow escape from certain death. Had circumstances been slightly different, all four would have perished under the weight of the collapsing shaft.