Territorial Police in Mityana are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three individuals that occurred at Zigoti Coffee Factory, located in Zigoti South LC1, Zigoti Town Council, Mityana District.
The incident occured Friday November 3, 2023 afternoon, according to Rachaeal Kawala, the Regional Police Spokesperson.
“Our Fire Station in Mityana received information via phone from Mutagwa Musa, the Manager of Zigoti Coffee Works Limited, that three adult males had tragically died in the factory’s elevator shaft,” said Kawala.
“Upon receiving this information, the Fire Prevention and Emergency Rescue Team from Mityana promptly rushed to the scene and successfully retrieved the bodies,” she added.
The deceased individuals were all employees of Zigoti Coffee Factory and have been identified as Sseguya Collins, a 21-year-old male, Kimbuggwe James, a 19-year-old male and Mwigala Bashir, a 25-year-old male, all employed as a casual laborers.
Preliminary findings suggest that at the time of the incident, the coffee processing machine was in operation but encountered a malfunction and was subsequently turned off.
“It is alleged that Kimbugwe James (deceased) descended into the elevator shaft to investigate the issue but tragically failed to return. This prompted Sseguya Collins and Mwigala Bashir to descend and attempt to rescue their colleague, but unfortunately, they too did not make it out,” says the Regional police spokesperson.
It has been determined that the deceased individuals may have succumbed to suffocation due to an oxygen deficiency in the elevator shaft. The investigation into this matter is still ongoing, and more details will be provided as they become available.
