By Antynet Ford
One miner was killed while two others escaped unhurt after an explosive they were using to mine gold in a village in Ortum, West Pokot went off accidentally.
The miners had dug a 20-foot shaft, which collapsed following a blast therein.
The locals assisted in the excavation and managed to retrieve the body of a 52-year-old man with physical injuries in the head.
The deceased was in the company of the other two men who escaped unhurt.
It was established that the three were using explosives to blast rocks inside the shaft but the deceased was trapped inside the exploding shaft and succumbed.
The body was moved to the Kapenguria Referral Hospital morgue awaiting autopsy.
Miners have been advised to avoid the mining site until when it will be declared safe.
This is a second incident in a week after at least three gold miners died after the walls of an underground mine collapsed in Manyatta village, Vihiga.
The officials said the miners were using heavy machines to crush stones in their artisanal activities, overlooking the environmental impact.
The government officials have always directed those involved in mining activities to stop operations for the National Environmental Management Authority to conduct an environmental impact assessment to give the ecological guidelines before mining operations can resume.
Gold miners have also ordered to seek licenses from all the relevant government authorities before embarking on the work.
They have been told to stop using heavy machinery at the sites as the machineries make the sites weak and unsafe for the miners.
The majority of the gold mining activities are done by small and medium enterprise miners who have been exposed to unsafe practices in the mining extraction processes.
