A 25-year-old artisanal gold miner is feared to have drowned while working along River Lusumu in Butere Sub-County, Kakamega County.
The incident was reported on Tuesday after the victim, identified as George Waswa, disappeared beneath the water while mining with colleagues in Eshitari Location.
According to police, the group was harvesting gold along the river at around noon when Waswa dived into the water but failed to resurface.
His colleagues waited for him to emerge but, after several minutes without success, concluded that he had likely drowned and alerted authorities.
Police from Lunza Police Station responded to the scene and launched a search operation.
Efforts to trace and retrieve the body were still underway by the time the incident report was filed.
Police said investigations into the incident are ongoing.
And police in Meru County secured the scene after the body of an unidentified person was spotted floating in a deep section of the Thangatha River, prompting the deployment of a specialist rescue team.
The incident was reported on Tuesday morning after members of the public alerted authorities that a body had been seen in the river at Kiamwere Village in Kamithega Sublocation,
Micimikuru area of Tigania Central Sub-County.
Police found the lifeless body floating in a buoyant state in an estimated 20-metre-deep waterfall section of the river.
Police said the body could not be retrieved immediately because the location was inaccessible and required the assistance of specialised rescue personnel.
The Meru County Fire Brigade was notified to assist in the recovery operation, while police secured the scene pending the retrieval of the body.
The operation was set to resume on Wednesday, police said urging for patience.
The identity of the deceased and the circumstances leading to the incident remain unclear.
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