A 65-year-old miner has tragically lost his life, while another remains trapped following a gold mine accident in Abimbo, located in Bondo sub-county.
The miner, identified as James Waloga, had arrived for his regular mining duties around 9 a.m. along with 13 colleagues when the accident occurred.
According to David Orido, General Secretary of the Abimbo Mining Site, the incident unfolded as the miners were descending into the mine shaft.
A ladder suddenly broke, causing a dangerous fall. Quick-thinking colleagues stationed outside the shaft managed to save 12 miners, but Waloga and one other miner remained trapped as the shaft filled with water.
Speaking with Radio Ramogi, Orido reported that rescuers reached Waloga. At the same time, he was still alive, and he was rushed to Bondo sub-county hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Efforts to locate and rescue the remaining miners continue.
Orido also highlighted that each shaft at the Abimbo site typically accommodates up to 14 miners working in shifts, adding that Waloga and his colleague were among those underground at the time of the ladder failure.
This tragedy marks three years since a similar incident at the same site, in which two miners, including Tom Okwach, lost their lives in a collapse that required a six-month recovery effort in 2021.
