Tragedy as man buried alive in Masinga

Tragedy as man buried alive in Masinga

One person died and another was critically injured after they were buried alive while harvesting sand in a river at Kaewa Sub-Location in Masinga Sub-County on Monday.

Confirming the incident, area assistant chief, Josephat Mawia, said the two had been warned to avoid operating in the area, which had been declared dangerous by authorities.

The body of the deceased was taken to a mortuary in the area while the injured was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Area residents lamented that sand harvesting has led to frequent flash floods at Masinga during the rainy season.

“We have witnessed a section of the village sinking due to landslides, and many of us have to vacate our homes when it rains,” one of the residents said.

The government has issued an alert over possible flash floods in various parts of the country where sand harvesting is normally practiced.

This comes barely a month following the death of a 30-year-old man after a heap of sand drifted and buried him alive as he was harvesting sand at Wich-Lum beach in Bondo Sub-County.

According to Bondo Community Policing Committee chairman, Mr Juma Abuko, the deceased, Otieno Akali, was inside the sand mine when the walls collapsed and buried him, killing him instantly.

Abuko added that the heap of sand drifted so fast that Akali did not have an opportunity to escape.

Mr Abuko urged sand harvesters in the area to take proper safety precautions to avert such tragedies.

In August, Residents of Masinga and Yatta constituencies in Machakos County held demonstrations protesting sand harvesting, which they said had interfered with their water sources.

Led by Ekalakala MCA Isaac Muinde and his Ndalani counterpart Stephen muthuka, the residents barricaded roads while threatening to set on fire all Lorries belonging to sand harvesters.

According to area residents, the sand harvesters have continued to endanger their lives by interfering with their only source of water.

They further accused sand harvesters of allegedly destroying graves while looking for sand, saying that the move could bring a curse to the community

The MCAs faulted Maringa area chief for allegedly conspiring with sand harvesters for his own selfish interests.

The residents seized a lorry and drove it to Masinga Police Station.

In 2014, Machakos county assembly passed a law that banned sand harvesting to save the dying rivers

According to the Sand Harvesting Act 2014, sand harvesting should be carried out by few licensed groups at designated areas, at least 50 metres from rivers.

A report from the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) indicates that sand harvesting employs thousands of people.

NEMA proposed regulations such as limiting the distance from the site to people’s homes and encouraged residents of such areas to plant trees along rivers to curb landslides.

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Masinga area assistant chief Josephat Mawia Kaewa Sub-Location

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