Five dead, three rescued after gold mine collapses in West Pokot

A gold mine collapse in Longorokomol Larga, Pokot North Sub-County, West Pokot County claimed at least five lives on Friday, October 2, 2026, according to police reports. The incident occurred when the mine caved in, burying several individuals inside the site. As of the latest report, five bodies had been recovered, while three others were rescued alive.

Rescue operations continued into the night, as authorities feared additional casualties could still be trapped under the rubble. The exact number of individuals present at the time of the collapse remains unclear.

Police and local authorities were working together to coordinate rescue efforts, while investigations into the cause of the mine collapse progressed. This tragic event is the latest in a series of such incidents at gold mine sites, raising concerns about worker safety. Such fatalities have been occurring with increasing frequency in recent days, with police statistics revealing that more than a dozen people die in such tragedies each month.

In another incident on the same day, a 52-year-old man named George Okumu Otieno died after falling into a gold mining pit in the Odondo area, Gem West Location, Rangwe Sub-County, Homa Bay County. Otieno was discovered and retrieved from the pit, where he was promptly taken to St Lawrence Hospital. Tragically, he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

His body was subsequently transferred to Obwanda Mortuary, where medical examiners noted significant injuries to his head and upper abdomen. The body has been preserved at the mortuary pending a postmortem examination to determine the precise cause of death. Police have initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Otieno's fatal incident.