Two die as second gold mine pit collapses in Karamoja

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Two people at Kaabong district's Loriwo village, Lokanayona parish in Loyoro sub-county, have passed on in a gold mine after it collapsed while they searched for one of the most precious stones: Gold. 

The dead have been identified as Kiyonga Longole, 32, a resident of Kakutatom village, Kotome parish. Another is Nangiro Lokubal, 26, who hails from Logutoo village, the same Kotome parish. The villages are found in Lodiko sub-county.

The April 26, 2026, incident comes barely a month after three artisanal miners were buried alive at Sokodu village, Morulem parish in Kaabong East sub-county, Kaabong district, some 215 kilometres North of Moroto town on March 22, 2026.

Reports reaching New Vision Online indicate that at about 8:30 pm, a trio illegally entered a gold pit that belonged to the neighbouring camp with intentions of stealing the gold sandy/loam soils.

Karamoja Police region spokesperson Mike Longole confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate, saying the residents discovered the deaths when reports spread that some people were missing.

However, they were able to establish that the pair could have been buried inside the gold pit they had entered the previous night.

Longole told New Vision Online a case of rush and negligent act has been reported at Loyoro Police post vide SD ref: 14/26/04/2026 and that the Police, with assistance from the community, retrieved one body, which has been conveyed to the Kaabong Hospital for postmortem.

“Efforts to recover the body of Nangiro Lokubal are ongoing,” Longole said, adding that if the rudimentary methods fail, they could hire an excavator.

He cautioned the artisanal miners against unauthorised entry into mining pits saying that it’s criminal and poses extreme risk to life.

“Artisanal miners must only operate in licensed/ gazetted areas,” Longole stated asking them to adhere to safety controls issued by the Directorate of Geological survey and mines.

He further asked miners to suspend mining activities due to unrelenting rains in the sub region saying the heavy downpours have loosened the sols posing a high risk of pot collapse.

He urged local leaders to regulate mining activities and also emphasize on awareness creation on safety measures.

Relatedly, the incident adds to the concerns about the safety of illegal miners in the Karamoja where an estimated 18,000-25,000 people are holed up in various mining areas within the region.

Poverty, climate instability have fuelled migrations into the mining areas located in the districts of Kaabong, Abim, Amudat, Nabilatuk and Moroto.