Gilgil boy dies after being buried alive in sand

A twelve-year-old boy died after being buried under a mound of sand in a quarry at Kikopey, Nakuru County on Sunday.

Gilgil sub-county police boss Emanuel Epuru said the minor, a standard seven pupil, was walking through the quarry site when it caved and buried him alive.

Opuru said police officers and officials from the disaster department visited the site and tried to rescue the minor but it was late.

They retrieved his body that was taken to Gilgil sub-county hospital morgue for postmortem.

"Police and responders tried to save the life of the minor but it was impossible because of suffocation," said the police boss.

The officer said following the incident, several quarries are being inspected by various stakeholders for safety purposes.

Several quarries in various parts of Nakuru have in the past killed individuals among the operators.

Example of areas where quarries have been condemned include parts of Bahati, Kaptebwo in Nakuru town West and sections of Pipeline, in Gilgil and Nakuru Town East sub-counties.

In Nakuru Town West, quarrying activities have affecting farming activities where farmers prefer converting their land into quarries.

At the same trading center, a middle-aged woman died after being hit by a speeding personal vehicle.

Opuru said the woman was hawking coffee along the busy highway.

Her body was taken to Gilgil hospital morgue for autopsy.

The officer said investigations to arrest the driver of the vehicle has commenced.

Further, he asked motorists to be keen while plying roads to avoid anticipated accidents that cause deaths.

"Drivers should avoid speeding along the route and observe other road signs to curb accidents," he said.