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The incident happened on Saturday, August 24 night as a group of miners scavenged for green garnet minerals in the area, police said.
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Police who visited the scene said two miners were in the tunnel when the walls caved in trapping them.
Image: THE STAR
A miner was killed after a mining tunnel collapsed in Mwatate, Taita Taveta.
The incident happened on Saturday, August 24 night as a group of miners scavenged for green garnet minerals in the area, police said.
Police who visited the scene said two miners were in the tunnel when the walls caved in trapping them.
One miner managed to escape.
Coast police boss George Sedah said rescuers managed to retrieve one body hours later.
"One miner managed to escape while one was killed in the incident. We are calling on those venturing into the mining areas to be careful for their safety," he said.
He said they are engaging local leadership to enlighten the miners on the dangers of such tunnels.
This is the latest such incident to happen at mining sites amid calls for safety measures to address the trend.
Hundreds of youth venture into the tunnels for gold and other minerals to earn a living.
Officials however say the tunnels where the miners venture are unsafe for their operations.
The officials say the miners use heavy machines to crush stones in their artisanal activities, overlooking the environmental impact.
As part of efforts to address the menace, government officials have always directed those involved in mining activities to stop operations for the National Environmental Management Authority to conduct an environmental impact assessment to give the ecological guidelines before mining operations can resume.
The gold miners are also ordered to seek licenses from all the relevant government authorities before embarking on the work.
They have been told to stop using heavy machinery at the sites.
These machineries make the sites weak and unsafe for the miners.