The Police in Busoga East are investigating the circumstances under which a 22-year-old, Swaibu Wafula, died in a gold mine in Bugiri District.
The deceased is a resident of Budde village, in Mayuge town council, who went missing two days ago. He was later found dead in a gold mine after miners noticed a stench in the area.
Police retrieved the body from the mine on Wednesday morning. It is suspected that Wafula was buried by gold mine rubble, which suffocated him to death.
Wafula's body has been handed over to Bugiri general hospital's mortuary, awaiting postmortem.
Meanwhile, a miner who spoke on condition of anonymity says that the mines are prone to accidents, but since most of them are not fatal, they seek medical care from the neighbouring health facilities without alerting local authorities.
Diana Nandawula the Busoga East Police Spokesperson noted that the gold mines have been closed, pending further inquiries on the incident.
Nandawula added that officers from the police fire and rescue services department have been dispatched to inspect the mines and ascertain the steps undertaken to ensure safety, before reopening the mines.
