Barely three months after another Tragedy occurred at Lami Nyeusi area in West Pokot where four people lost their lives after they were buried alive while mining gold, an 18-year-old woman has died after a gold mine caved in on her.

Chenangat Alemkori was mining gold near the banks of River Turkwel when the accident occurred on Wednesday, February 26 afternoon. According to Songok area chief Joseph Korkimul, the incident happened at around 3:00 PM, but her body was only discovered the following morning.

“She had been trapped under the rubble of an informal gold-mining site, a common source of livelihood in the region,” said Chief Korkimul.

Her mother, Chepotumeigyo Alemkori, recounted the heartbreaking moment she found her daughter’s lifeless body. Speaking to TV47, she said Chenangat had left home in search of gold but never returned.

“In the evening, when she didn’t come back, I assumed she might have been married off,” she said.

However, when she woke up the next morning and began searching for her daughter, her worst fears were confirmed.

“I asked my neighbors, but they hadn’t seen her. So, I decided to check the mining site, and there, I found her tools,” she recounted.

Near the pit, she noticed a covered cup, which, upon opening, revealed small pieces of gold her daughter had collected.

“I looked inside the pit and saw my daughter’s body. That’s when I alerted my neighbors, who helped retrieve it,” she said, her voice heavy with grief.

Chepotumeigyo expressed sorrow over the economic hardships forcing young girls into dangerous mining activities.

“Poverty has pushed our daughters to the mines, hoping to find gold and sell it for money. But now, it has taken my child,” she lamented.

This tragedy comes just months after a similar incident in December last year, where four people were buried alive in the gold pits at Lami Nyeusi.

Authorities have repeatedly warned about the dangers of unregulated gold mining, citing weak soil structures and a lack of safety measures that have led to frequent fatalities.

Local leaders are now calling for urgent intervention, including stricter mining safety regulations and alternative livelihood programs, to prevent further loss of lives.

As investigations continue, the village is left grieving yet another young life lost to the perilous pursuit of gold.