The body of a 32-year-old gold miner who had been trapped in a pit in Kayanga Village, Kibazi Parish, Kyamuhunga Sub-County, Bushenyi District, was on Wednesday retrieved after a 24-hour search operation.
The victim, identified as Sansio Twijukye, a resident of Kayanga Village, is among five people who were reportedly buried alive while illegally mining gold on Tuesday. Twijukye’s body was recovered at around 12:30 p.m. following intensive search efforts that involved the use of an excavator.
Police identified the other victims as Namanya Saul (35), Mujurizi Julius (45), Akanyamba Stuart Kokyenga (16), and Nuwagaba Anthony (20).
The incident is said to have occurred on Tuesday at around 3:30 p.m. when a section of soil suddenly collapsed, burying the victims who were reportedly mining underground. Authorities said the victims died instantly after being covered by the debris.
According to police, the mine site had been closed by authorities several years ago. SP Tayebwa Apollo, the Regional Police Spokesperson for Greater Bushenyi, said the bodies have been handed over to medical experts for postmortem examinations to establish the exact cause of death, as required by law.
He added that the mine site has been temporarily closed as investigations into the incident continue.
SP Tayebwa also revealed that the victims were using rudimentary tools and did not have valid mining licenses, which is a violation of mining regulations. He urged members of the public to always follow mining laws and safety guidelines to avoid similar tragic incidents in the future.
CUE IN SP TAYEBWA…..ON THE MATTER…. RR/ENG//
