A middle-aged man from Kyogong village in Chepalungu, Bomet County died after a quarry they were harvesting sand from collapsed and buried him alive.
Preliminary reports into the incident indicated that the walls of the quarry caved in on three miners, two of whom were rescued and were recuperating in hospitals.
According to Bomet disaster unit officer Stanley Kosgei, the deceased succumbed to chest and head injuries sustained during the tragic incident on Wednesday evening following a heavy downpour in the area.
He said the other two miners were rescued alive in the Wednesday evening incident.
“It took efforts by the members of the public to dig out and save the lives of the two other miners who were later rushed to Longisa Hospital where they were treated and discharged.
Rono Haron one of the miners said the day was going well before a heavy downpour persisted in the afternoon, turning the mines waterlogged and forcing the walls of the quarry to collapse, burying the workers.
He said their attempts to rescue the deceased turned futile as he was caught up between two heavy boulders that required machines to move.
“We could not do anything as he was sandwiched and trapped between the immovable boulders that rolled over into the quarry,’’ he said.
He said it took the intervention of the county disaster officers and police to remove the trapped body.
Police officers attached to Bomet Central police station visited the scene on Wednesday and moved the body to the Longisa County Referral Hospital mortuary.
Following the incident, the county officer in charge of devolution, Erick Cheruiyot appealed to miners to keep off the site until advised by the relevant department.
In the recent past, five people have similarly lost their lives.
KNA
