Two artisanal miners suffocate in gold pit
Dr Sarah Opendi (M), the State Minister for Mineral Development, at the site where bodies of the two miners were retrieved.
MUBENDE- Two bodies of artisanal gold miners who got trapped in a 300-feet gold pit in Kassanda District nine days ago, have been retrieved by members of Police Fire Prevention and Rescue Services.
The miners were trapped in the pit at Kampala Mining Site at Lujinji Village, Kitumbi Sub- County in Kassanda District.
Police identified the miners as Godwin Muhindo, who came from Kasese District and Enock Namara from Kyegegwa District.
According to Wamala Region Police spokesperson, Mr Bob Kagarura, they responded when a one Mwajuma reported a case of missing persons at Kasanda Police Station
“When the case of a missing person was reported, our team started investigating the matter and we later discovered that the said missing person is among the two who died in a gold pit,” he said on Tuesday
He said preliminary investigations have revealed that the two miners sneaked into an abandoned gold pit on April 12, where they suffocated since there was no oxygen underground.
The latest tragedy has placed a harsh spotlight on the mining industry in Kassanda and Mubende districts, where hundreds of poor youth from various districts in Uganda troop to earn a living.
Kassanda District has four gold mines in Kitumbi, Bukuya and Kalwana sub-counties, where small townships have mushroomed to accommodate casual labourers and small-scale traders.
Dr Sarah Opendi, the State Minister for Mineral Development, who visited the site, cautioned illegal miners against sneaking into protected mining sites.
She wondered how the two miners accessed the site when the area is heavily guarded by soldiers and policemen
“We are currently in the lockdown and mining cannot go on when all people have been instructed to stay home. So, one wonders how these two artisanal miners ended up here,” she said
She said the site where the tragedy occurred initially belonged to AUC Mining Company although their licensed expired.
“As a ministry, have not renewed their [AUC Mining Company] license and we don’t expect any one else to operate in the area,” she said.
The latest incident comes barely eight months after two artisanal miners were buried in a pit at the neighbouring Lujingi D Village.
Police Fire Prevention and Rescue Services workers Kampala failed to retrieve the bodies after two used an excavator for two days and abandoned the site. In 2015, two artisanal miners suffocated in a mining pit at Kyapa, in Kassanda District.
