Story by Obed Kankiriho
A 25-year-old man, Ozius Niyonsaba, tragically lost his life on Wednesday after being buried under falling debris while mining sand at the Kabeshero sand site in Gakoro Village, Nyakabande Sub-county, Kisoro District.
Niyonsaba, a peasant and resident of the same village, had earlier attended morning prayers at Gakoro Catholic Church alongside his wife Rosette and his mother, Gertrude Mukankusi.
After returning home around 7:00 AM, he proceeded to the sand mine where the fatal incident occurred at approximately 10:00 AM.
According to police reports, his mother received news of the accident at around 8:30 AM, learning that her son had been buried by a sudden collapse of sand and rocks while working. He was confirmed dead at the scene.
The incident was reported by Gakoro Village LC1 Chairperson Michael Rwerekana to Kisoro Central Police Station.
Elly Maate, the Kigezi Region Police spokesperson, confirmed that a case of sudden death was registered at both Mutolere Police Post and Kisoro Central Police Station.
The scene was visited and documented by PC Ntakirutimana Seith, Officer in Charge at Mutolere, along with other officers. Statements were taken from witnesses, including the deceased’s mother and brother.
A postmortem examination was conducted before the body was handed over to the family for burial. Police say investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident.
