Police search for miners buried in Namayingo gold pit

Several miners are feared dead after a gold mine pit collapsed in Namayingo District on July 18, 2026.

The accident occurred at about 3pm in Mabuka Village, Bugana Parish, Bukana Sub-county, said Police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke 

Police said the soil gave way while an unknown number of people were mining underground. The collapse buried several miners beneath the debris.

Residents said some miners escaped and fled the area. Others remained trapped as rescue teams searched the site.

Authorities had closed the mine over safety concerns. However, miners continued extracting unprocessed gold from the site without clearance.

A resident said the authorities shut the mine last year after a series of accidents. The Resident District Commissioner’s office ordered the closure following reports of frequent injuries and deaths.

Another resident blamed the latest accident on weak safety measures. He said miners worked without helmets, gumboots, gloves or protective clothing.

He also said the site lacked clear safety rules and proper leadership. This exposed miners to preventable accidents.

The resident accused illegal miners of returning to closed sites once enforcement teams left.

“Whenever mines are closed, enforcement teams normally depart from the scene after 48 hours, prompting illicit individuals to continue mining without any clearance from authorities,” he said.

Busoga East Regional Police spokesperson Michael Kasadha confirmed the accident.

He said rescuers recovered bodies from the collapsed pit. Authorities had not identified the victims by the time of his statement.

Police took the bodies to Buyinja Health Centre IV mortuary for postmortem examinations.

Kasadha said rescuers also pulled one miner from the debris alive. The survivor is receiving treatment at Buyinja Health Centre IV.

Police fire and rescue officers continued searching the site to establish whether more miners remained trapped.