Twelve miners have so far been rescued out of the twenty who were trapped inside a gold shaft mine collapsed in Khayega, Kakamega County.
A multi-Agency team led by Kenya Red Cross, Kakamega County disaster team, the police and local community managed to rescue the first eight immediately the accident occured while four others were rescued after a few hours.
Confirming the progress in the rescue operation, Shinyalu Sub-County Commander Daniel Makumbu said the rescued victims had no injuries.
He said rescue operations are still on to rescue all the miners.
Makumbu urged residents to exercise caution around the collapsed area..
“The area around the collapsed shaft is risky and we are not going to allow people to mill near it because we do not want more casualties,” the OCPD warned.
Hopes are still high that those still trapped will be found alive despite the risks involved in the rescue operations.
This is the latest incidents of shaft collapse in Kakamega after two miners were killed after the walls of an underground gold mine caved in on them in Ikolomani in 2023.
Kakamega is known to have abundant gold deposits, making it a hotspot for artisanal miners looking to earn a living.
The mining of the precious product has however remained informal despite the discovery of the product nine decades ago.
However, the risks involved have caused deaths.
In the past, the government pledged to support
The government has previously pledged support for the miners in the region which includes the development of a gold refinery.
