Four miners die after suffocating in mining hole in Migori

Four miners lost their lives due to oxygen deprivation within a mining pit located in Ntunyigi, Kuria West, Migori County. The victims were discovered lifeless on Saturday, September 26, 2026, after one of them entered the pit and never returned. Authorities swiftly arrived at the location and, with aid from locals, deployed a substantial air compressor to inject oxygen into the hole.

This allowed rescuers to breach the mining shaft and recover the four bodies. The deceased were identified as David Kinono Munanka, 41, the mine's proprietor, Ian Gati Mwita, 20, Samson Nyangige, 37, and a miner known by a single name, believed to be 23 years old. Police stated that Munanka ventured into the pit to check on the three workers, who had descended underground around 7 am but did not emerge.

The scene was examined and recorded by investigators prior to the bodies being transferred to Kehancha Sub-County Hospital mortuary for further examination. Post-mortem investigations will be conducted to ascertain the precise cause of death. This incident highlights the ongoing safety concerns surrounding mining operations in the region.

The miners have been working without proper safety measures, putting not only themselves but also their neighbors at risk. This tragedy follows a similar incident just the day before, where two women perished when a section of a gold mining site in Osiri-Matanda, Nyatike Sub-County, collapsed. The women, Phylis Awino, 33, and Millicent Atieno, 34, were extracted from the collapsed section of the mine during a joint operation involving the national and county governments of Migori.

The operation was triggered by the collapse of the mining shaft on Friday morning, which ensnared the women underground. The bodies were retrieved and processed at the site before being transferred to Migori County Referral Hospital mortuary for preservation pending post-mortem examinations to determine the exact cause of their deaths.

The mining area is rich in gold and has drawn hundreds of miners who enter without regulation, resulting in unstable and hazardous conditions. Miners excavate tunnels even near residential areas and abandon them unattended, putting residents at various dangers. This is taking place amidst government efforts to ensure safe mining practices at various gold mine sites.