Five dead after informal gold mine collapses in Kenya

According to authorities and local media, at least five people have died and several others are missing after an informal gold mine collapsed in northern Kenya.

The bodies of five miners have been recovered from the Hillo artisanal mine and three others are missing, regional commissioner Paul Rotich told Reuters by telephone late Friday.

“According to reports from rescue workers, police and our bosses, (at least) eight casual miners were in the mining area when the walls collapsed, burying them alive,” Rotich said.

Two injured miners were taken to hospital, Kenyan broadcaster NTV reported on Saturday.

“The site collapsed due to the rains,” David Saruni, district commissioner of Marsabit County, told NTV.

After weeks of torrential rains, hundreds of people were killed in floods and landslides across the country.

Mining continued despite authorities closing the mine near the Ethiopian border in March after several people were killed in clashes between local communities over access to the area, Citizen TV reported.