Four perish in Buhweju gold mine accident

BUHWEJU – Locals in Bihanga Sub-county in Buhweju district are terrified after four artisanal miners died as part of the gold mine they were working in collapsed last Friday.

Martial Tumusiime, the Greater Bushenyi regional police spokesperson said the fatal incident was reported by Richard Nuwagira, the LC III chairperson of Bihanga Sub-county.

According to Nuwagira, the unfortunate incident happened on the evening of Friday at Runengo village, Karembe Parish, Bihanga Sub-county in Buhweju district where the deceased have spent years digging for gold.

The deceased include; Silvesto Bainomugisha, 24, from Kashambya village, James Nuwamany,23, from Runengo Village, Saturday Mathias,24, and Venantius Mbaaga,24, from Mugarama II village in Katembe parish, Rukiri Sub-county in Ibanda district.

Tumusiime said the death of four people in a gold mine was reported at Bihanga Police Station in Buhweju.

“It’s said that those four people had gone to do artisanal mining in Runengo Village and the mine collapsed on them. And by the time police was informed and responded, the community had retrieved the dead bodies,” he said.

Tumusiime added that members of the community mobilised themselves and removed the victims from the collapsed mine.

“Crime scene was visited by the local area police led by the OC Bihanga Police Station, the scene was documented as required and inquiries commenced under vide Buhweju CRB 531/2022,” he said.

According to Deus Bainomugisha, the spokesperson Buhweju District United Miners Cooperative Society Limited [BDUMCS] which has about 150 members said the four who died are not members of their cooperative.

“Of course, those who died were among our artisanal miners but they were not part of our cooperative,” said Bainomugisha

This is the second incident that occurred in the district similar to what happened in January 2019 when they lost two casual labourers as the gold mine collapsed.

Bainomugisha appealed to all miners to unite and join the cooperative society, saying regulations governing members guard against illegal gold mining, which he said is responsible for some accidents in the mine.

“Let all those who want to carry out mining join our cooperative such that we are able to regulate their activities because when these activities are not regulated the end result is death which occurs and is uncalled for,” he explained.

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