Crime scene
A 27-year-old man died and two others are hospitalised after they were reportedly overcome while handling petroleum products at a yard in Port Reitz, Mombasa county.
According to police and witnesses, the three men were taken to hospital by a Good Samaritan in a tuk-tuk at about 1.50am on Thursday.
Police officers who visited the hospital found one of the men unresponsive, another semi-conscious and the third conscious.
The unresponsive man was pronounced dead, while the two others were placed on oxygen and admitted for treatment.
The deceased was identified as Wycliffe Kitungu Peter, 27. The two survivors remained admitted at the hospital.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the three men had been handling petroleum products at an unidentified yard in the Port Reitz area when they are suspected to have run short of oxygen.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the conditions under which the three men were handling the petroleum products.
Wycliffe’s body was moved to the Coast General Hospital mortuary pending a post-mortem examination.
Gold miner dies after shaft collapses in Siaya
Elsewhere, a 36-year-old gold miner died after a mining shaft collapsed in West Migwena sublocation, Central Sakwa Location, Bondo subcounty, Siaya county.
The incident occurred at about 9pm on Wednesday after a group of 22 casual miners descended into the tunnel to carry out their daily mining activities.
Police officers from Bondo police station and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) rushed to the scene after receiving a report that the shaft had collapsed, trapping one of the miners.
The deceased was identified as David Juma Onyango. Fellow artisanal miners mounted a rescue operation and retrieved Onyango’s body from the collapsed tunnel.
Police said he had sustained a visible injury to his back. Two other miners were also rescued with minor injuries but left the scene before they could be documented, according to police.
The remaining 19 miners escaped unhurt. The scene was processed by police officers before Onyango’s body was moved to Bondo Subcounty Hospital mortuary pending a post-mortem examination.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the mine collapse are ongoing.
The incident highlights the safety risks facing artisanal miners, with authorities and stakeholders continuing to call for improved safety measures at gold mining sites.
