Nairobi — The body of Tom Okwach, 25, who was buried alive at the Abimbo goldmine in Bondo seven months ago, has been retrieved.

The deceased's uncle, Fredrick Ogunde, confirmed that Okwach's remains were retrieved on Sunday morning following spirited efforts by 15 artisanal miners.

Okwach and seven other artisans were buried alive on December 2, 2021 when the shaft of a mine they were in caved in trapping them several feet beneath.

"We thank God as a family we can now bury our kin," said Ogunde.

Six other miners were retrieved alive.

Okwach's brother, Steve Aliwa, expressed mixed reaction noting that while he was delighted his brother had been found, the family had gone though a difficult time grieving about their kin after hopes for rescuing him were dashed after search teams failed to reach him in time.