Three people were buried alive and another seriously injured after a gold mine pit collapsed in Kaabong district on Sunday morning.
The deceased were identified as Modo Lopeyok of Lomonye village, Naudu Lopeyok of Sokodu village, and Lokonoi Lokudongiro, also of Sokodu village. The survivor, Michael Lochola, was rushed to Kaabong General Hospital where he is receiving treatment.
The incident occurred at around 7:45 am in Sokodu mining area, Kaabong East sub-county, where the four artisanal miners were extracting gold when the pit caved in. John Bosco Lokol, the LC III chairperson of Kaabong East sub-county, attributed the collapse to unstable soil structures worsened by recent torrential rains.
He said that despite repeated sensitisation meetings, miners continue to disregard safety precautions due to poverty and the need to earn a livelihood.
“Hunger drives people to the mining site, making them disregard all safety measures just to survive,” Lokol said.
He added that mining accidents are frequent in the area and called on government and development partners to support artisanal miners with modern safety equipment to prevent future tragedies.
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