Families are battling grief, fear and uncertainty after a deadly gold mining accident.
14 people have been confirmed dead, while dozens are trapped beneath huge rocks and debris.
The tragedy occurred at the Romos gold mining pits in West Pokot County when a massive rock reportedly collapsed onto hundreds of artisanal miners on Thursday evening.
By Friday, the rescue mission was ongoing as relatives, friends and volunteers used bare hands to search for survivors and retrieve bodies.
County Commissioner David Saruni confirmed that 14 bodies had been recovered, among them 12 women and two men.
“We are yet to establish the exact number of people still trapped beneath the debris,” he added.
Residents claimed more than 100 people had been prospecting for gold when the collapse occurred and that many are non-locals
Eleven survivors with serious injuries were admitted to the Kapenguria County Referral Hospital as families gathered at the mining site hoping for news of missing loved ones.
Relatives narrated painful accounts of how poverty had driven many residents to the dangerous mining pits.
Mercy Aroto said the rescue mission had become difficult because many bodies were trapped beneath giant rocks.
“Most of the bodies retrieved are only parts, making the retrieval mission very difficult,” she said. “No one knows the exact number of deaths because many people are still beneath the debris. You can only see legs, hands or heads while the rest of the body remains buried.”
Locals said the miners had crowded the pits when the collapse occurred shortly after 5pm.
Geoffrey Lodis recalled how survivors rushed downhill, screaming for help after the rock came crashing down.
“Some people escaped and came down the hill alerting residents that a huge rock had fallen on hundreds of miners,” he said.
“We managed to pull out hands, legs and some body parts, but many people remain trapped beneath the rocks.”
According to him, the massive stone buried women, men and even babies who were near the mining area.
For Gideon Poghisio, the tragedy may have wiped out nearly his entire family. He had four relatives in the pits, but only two bodies had been recovered by yesterday.
He painfully narrated how one of his aunts slipped while rescue efforts were ongoing and disappeared beneath the collapsing rocks.
“Every day my relatives went uphill to look for gold so they could pay school fees for our children, but now they cannot be found,” he said.
“The hard economic times pushed them to their deaths.”
Another mourner, Krop Emmanuel from Alale, said he had travelled with his aunt to Morita for gold business only for her to die days later.
“She came here looking for a living for her children. We arrived one week ago, but now she is dead,” he said while fighting tears.
“I can see her body inside the cave but I cannot reach her. The government delayed in coming to help retrieve the bodies. We are suffering because we are helping ourselves without support.”
At the site, volunteers continued digging without protective equipment despite the dangers posed by unstable rocks.
“We have no gloves or masks,” said Kelvin Mwetich. “At around 11pm, women were still crying for help from beneath the rocks but we could not save them.”
He added that the number of people trapped could be much higher than those already retrieved.
“Those still buried are more than the bodies recovered. Even if we try to push the huge rocks, we cannot manage. There are still men, women and babies trapped inside,” he said.
Hillary Yegon, who narrowly escaped death, described the terrifying moments before the collapse. “The mining work is usually done together,” he said. “I had just moved away from the rock when it suddenly fell on the people below.”
Residents accused the authorities of neglecting artisanal miners despite the risks they face. Dorcas Lochil urged the government to deploy machinery urgently to help retrieve decomposing bodies.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen warned against illegal and unregulated mining activities.
“We will work closely with the relevant ministry and the county government to restore order and ensure proper regulation of the sector. We pray for the bereaved families, wish a quick recovery to those injured, and urge locals to adhere to safety standards as they undertake mining activities,” he stated.
