Two people have been confirmed dead after a sand quarry in which they were working collapsed at Kanyamisinga Village in Kanungu District
The deceased have been identified as Simon Izobaryomwe, 30, and Umar Mbonigaba, 31. The incident occurred at around 10:00 a.m. as the two men, together with a survivor, Junior Tumwebaze, 24, were loading sand onto a tipper truck.
The sand quarry, owned by Mbonigaba, had been operational for more than 20 years. Local residents had reportedly raised concerns that the site had become increasingly unstable over time.
According to eyewitness accounts, the quarry collapsed suddenly, burying the truck and the two men under large volumes of sand. Tumwebaze narrowly escaped and raised an alarm, prompting a swift response from authorities.
Kigezi Regional Police spokesperson Elly Maate confirmed the incident, saying police officers, with the support of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), rushed to the scene and used a wheel loader to carry out rescue and recovery operations.
“By evening, Mbonigaba’s body had been recovered, but Izobaryomwe’s body remained trapped under the sand,” Maate said.
Recovery efforts continued as authorities assessed the safety of the site.
