1.0Trusted News Ugandahttps://trustednewsug.comAdminhttps://trustednewsug.com/index.php/author/kabuye/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="uxm7poozPa"><a href="https://trustednewsug.com/index.php/2026/11/14/top-of-form/">Police, Rescuers Struggle to Retrieve Four Miners Trapped in Kassanda Gold Mine</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://trustednewsug.com/index.php/2026/11/14/top-of-form/embed/#?secret=uxm7poozPa" width="600" height="338" title="“Police, Rescuers Struggle to Retrieve Four Miners Trapped in Kassanda Gold Mine” — Trusted News Uganda" data-secret="uxm7poozPa" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://trustednewsug.com/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script> https://trustednewsug.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ssp-lameck-kigozi.jpg10601162By Robert Segawa Police and fire and rescue services in Kassanda District are struggling to retrieve four people who remain trapped in a gold mining pit, four days after a suspected mining accident. The incident occurred on November 10, 2026, during a night shift at Kagaba Gold Ore Mining Site in Bukuya Town Council, Kassanda District. According to police, six adult males were involved in the suspected mining accident after debris buried them inside the mining pit. However, two of them managed to escape. Lameck Kigozi, the Wamala Region Police spokesperson, identified the six people involved as Owimaana Yoweri, Bijirimaana Isaac, Muneneko Isaac, Gasole, Rukundo and Kaviiri. He said Rukundo and Kaviiri managed to escape from the debris, while the other four remained trapped underground. Preliminary findings indicate that the six men had entered the Kagaba gold mining pit, reportedly owned by businessman Joseph Kabira, to engage in illegal mineral scavenging, locally known as okwekyokola. The two survivors subsequently alerted members of the public about the incident. Denis Ssekandi, the general manager of Mubende Miners Association (MUMA), later reported the incident to Kassanda Police Station, where a General Inquiry File (GIF) was opened to facilitate investigations. Police officers visited and examined the scene, documented the incident and recorded statements from some witnesses. According to the statements recorded by police, another industrial accident had occurred at the same mining site on October 18, 2026, in which an adult male lost his life inside the mining pit. Following that incident, officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development visited the site and recommended the temporary closure of five mining pits in the area. The officials also directed that all surface pits and excavated holes be covered or filled with stones as the authorities worked towards introducing modern mining technology to address safety concerns identified at the site. Kigozi said mining activities were subsequently suspended to allow the implementation of the safety measures recommended by the ministry officials. Owners of the five affected underground pits were also instructed to deploy security guards to prevent unauthorised access as the recommended safety measures were being implemented. Excavators were brought to the site to backfill the five mining pits. However, before the backfilling exercise was completed, the six men allegedly sneaked into the Kagaba gold mine to engage in mineral scavenging, locally referred to as okwekyokola. Kigozi said four of the men remain trapped under the debris, approximately 70 feet underground. As of the morning of November 14, 2026, rescue efforts were still ongoing, with police and rescue teams working to retrieve the victims, either alive or dead. Kigozi expressed hope that the trapped miners would be found alive, noting that there had been previous incidents in which victims survived underground, particularly where the flow of oxygen had not been compromised. “We appeal to all people in gold mining communities, especially labourers, to always adhere to the safety standards set by Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development officials. “When any gold mining pit is declared unsafe for mining activities, let us desist from the temptation of scavenging (okwekyokola) in such pits because it is very dangerous,” Kigozi said. He also urged investors to strengthen security at mining sites whose safety has been compromised and which have been declared unsafe by ministry officials.