Workers trapped in the mines on May 9, 2018. Six miners were trapped in Nyatike copper mines after the wall caved in. [Caleb Kingwara, Standard]
Four gold miners were on Friday evening buried alive and two others seriously injured at Matanda gold mine in Nyatike sub-county, Migori.
Migori County Police Commander Joseph Nthenga said the four were identified as Otieno Morris, Ochele Akili, Kennedy Otieno and David Odhiambo.
They died at the scene when the walls caved in.
Joackim Ojowi and David Makori were injured and were taken to Migori Level 4 Hospital.
They were among workers at the Matanda Gold Mining site in Nyatike.
"The six men were on their normal duty of excavating gold at Matanda before a stone fell on them,” Nthenge said.
This comes a week after Mining CS John Munyes met miners in Migori and promised to improve mining safety.
“The Government wants to improve the living standards of local miners, and the only way is to give them the licences. The Government is keen to ensure safe, profitable and sustainable gold mining in Migori.”
He expressed concern over continued illegal gold mining in total disregard of NEMA regulations and the law.
However, the CS urged miners to familiarize themselves with the law on safety and mining.
Macalder mines claimed six lives early this year, but residents keep working there.
