The Kenya Red Cross has confirmed the rescue of 12 additional people following the collapse of a gold mine in Museno Village, Shinyalu, Kakamega County.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, February 4, the Kenya Red Cross stated that a multi-agency team was on the ground, working to free miners still trapped in the debris.
“Update as of 0942Hrs: 12 people have been rescued. A multi-agency team, including the Kenya Red Cross, EMS Kenya, the County Disaster Team, local community members, and the Kenya Police, is on the ground leading rescue operations,” the statement read.
The mine collapsed on Monday evening, February 3, trapping at least 20 miners. By 9 PM that night, villagers and police officers had rescued 8 miners.
Shinyalu Sub-County Police Commander Daniel Makumbu confirmed that rescue efforts would continue until all the miners are accounted for.
Patrick Mukhule, chairperson of the Western Regional Rescue Team, stated that the eight miners rescued on Monday night were unharmed.
“The accident occurred around 6 PM, and rescue operations began immediately. We managed to rescue eight people who were not injured,” he said.
This incident follows the recent tragedy in Ikolomani, where three miners suffocated after another gold mine collapsed just over a month ago.