Three people were killed and one other injured after a gold mine pit collapsed in Namayingo District on Saturday afternoon.
According to Police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke, the incident happened at around 3:00 p.m. in Mabuka Village, Bukana Parish, Uganda Sub-county, when the walls of a gold mining pit caved in, burying several miners.
Rusoke said police responded to the scene and recovered three bodies while one survivor was rescued and rushed to Weinja Health Centre for treatment.
“The victims were suffocated to death after the soil collapsed and buried them. Police managed to recover three bodies and rescue one survivor,” Rusoke said.
Police identified the deceased as Gift, Sowedi, and Weyijuri.
Rusoke said the victims were working in a pit estimated to be about 120 feet deep. He added that the collapse is being investigated as a case of rash and negligent acts occasioning death.
Police have since launched a manhunt for the suspected owner of the mining site, identified only as Kwengere, after preliminary findings indicated the pit had previously been closed by the Mineral Police over safety concerns.
“We are on the hunt for the owner of this site because our Mineral Police had previously inspected it, found it unfit for mining and closed it. However, after the officers left, the site was illegally reactivated,” Rusoke said.
He noted that although some local leaders had opposed the closure, citing employment concerns, police insisted that public safety must take precedence.
“There is no gold worth the death of a person. No amount of gold is worth human life. Your safety should always come first,” Rusoke emphasized.
Police expressed condolences to the bereaved families and the people of Bukana, while urging residents to avoid illegal and unsafe mining activities, particularly in abandoned or closed pits.
Rusoke also called on local leaders and members of the public to work with police by reporting illegal mining sites to prevent similar tragedies.
