NAIROBI – Five people have been killed, and three are still missing after the collapse of an unauthorised gold mine in northern Kenya, police said Saturday. Authorities in March had ordered the closure of so-called informal mines in the Hillo area near the border with Ethiopia, following clashes between local communities that resulted in seven deaths.
But despite the closures, the area “continued to attract people looking to make a living,” said Patrick Mwakio, police commander for the region’s Marsabit county.
“The bodies were found after searches that began yesterday,” he said, adding that three others had yet to be found.
Weeks of heavy rains led to the mine’s collapse, county official David Saruni told NTV television.
The storms have caused 291 deaths across the country with 75 people missing, and forced around 275 000 people from their homes, according to a government tally released on 16 May.
– Nampa/AFP