The body of a man who was buried alive four days ago while digging a borehole has been recovered.
The body was retrieved at 2 pm Thursday.
The incident that happened at Naisirongo village in Samia sub-county had left Patrick Mande’s family in sorrow as they waited for the retrieval of the body.
The 38-year-old man was buried alive on Sunday at his home as he sought to drill the borehole in search of water for the family.
Three others who were in his company survived.
By the time the incident happened, the deceased is said to have dug 35 feet below the ground.
Neighbours had pegged hope on the man’s efforts for water since the village had no reliable source of clean water.
They said at the time the soil caved in on the man, the ground had become moist implying the water table was near.
A brother to Mande, Fredrick Oloo, said attempts to save his life were unfruitful since the hole he had dug was so deep to excavate the soil before he could breathe his last.
“Our brother was buried when the walls of the waterhole caved in. We tried to save his life but we lacked the equipment necessary to lift up the soil,” said Oloo.
He urged the county government of Busia to ensure rescue equipment is available in all the seven sub-counties to facilitate rescue efforts in cases of tragedy.
Village elder, Austine Masiga said the area where the tragedy happened has experienced an acute shortage of water for many years.
“Despite our proximity to the lake, Samia sub-county has always experienced an acute shortage of water forcing 85 percent of residents to depend on boreholes as an alternative solution,” said Masiga.
PERFORM RITUAL
Elders, Masiga said, will help the family to perform rituals in line with Samia culture and traditions to purify the family against other forms of calamities.
“We will conduct a cleansing ritual to the family and more so to the three who were with the deceased at the time of the disaster,” said Masiga.
The residents now want Governor Paul Otuoma to fulfil his campaign pledge of ensuring clean water is available to the majority of residents in the county.
Villagers observe the retrieval of the body of the late Patrick Mande who was buried alive on Sunday, June 18, 2023.