Bugesera quarry tragedy: Bereaved families recount their ordeal

When Christine Mukampundu left home on Thursday morning, it was just another workday. Like many families in her neighbourhood, she and her husband depended on quarry work to provide food, pay school fees, and support their household. The couple parted ways early that morning, each heading to a different quarry, expecting to reunite after work. They never did. ALSO READ: Death toll from Bugesera quarry collapse rises to 10 Instead, Mukampundu received a phone call that would change her life. A neighbour called and told me there had been an accident at the quarry, she recalled. I immediately asked whether my husband had survived. The person told me everyone had been buried beneath the collapsed quarry. I rushed there, but when I arrived, I couldn't even see the workers. Everything was already buried under the debris.” By the time she reached the scene in Nyamabuye Village, Kanzenze Cell, Ntarama Sector, rescue teams, assisted by excavators, had already begun the difficult task of digging through tonnes of earth in search of survivors. None were found alive. The collapse, which occurred at around 11 a.m. on July 9, claimed the lives of all 10 workers who had been extracting stones and sand for construction at a quarry operated by the licensed cooperative COTRAKI. Rescue operations continued until around 11 p.m., when authorities recovered all the bodies, bringing the 12-hour search to an end. Among the victims was Mukampundu's husband, Ndimubanzi Ndora. Mukampundu, 42, is now left to care for their five children, including three-year-old twins, alone. It is a deep shock, she said. My husband was not only my best friend but also our family's main breadwinner. Burial arrangements are expected to take place on either Sunday, July 12, 2026, or Monday, July 13, 2026. A dangerous livelihood For Mukampundu, the tragedy is made even more painful because it was not her husband's first encounter with danger at the quarry. Several years ago, he survived another serious workplace accident that nearly cost him one of his legs. He broke his leg badly, and for a long time he could hardly walk. He received treatment and eventually recovered, she said. Following that accident, he temporarily left quarry work and earned a living as a carpenter. However, like many informal workers, he struggled to find stable employment. Eventually, he returned to the quarry. He came back because this was where he could earn money to support the family, she said. Sadly, it is the same place that took his life. Now, Mukampundu faces an uncertain future. The cooperative has told us it will assist with the burial, and I appreciate that. But after the funeral, I don't know what will happen, she said, appealing to both the government and the cooperative for support in raising her children. I have nowhere else to turn. Raising five children alone, including twins, will not be easy. Mukampundu said she understands the dangers associated with quarry work. Yet, like many labourers in Bugesera District, she said poverty often leaves workers with little choice. We know the risks. We have seen people get injured before, she said. But these quarries are where we earn money to feed our families, buy clothes, and survive. It could have been me For 27-year-old Samuel Uwitonze, the tragedy feels deeply personal. Uwitonze normally works at the same quarry where the collapse occurred. On that morning, however, he had taken time off to attend a meeting of his savings group. That decision saved his life. I usually work there every day, but on that day I had another commitment, he said. He said every victim was someone he knew, and that they had worked together for several years. They were my colleagues. We worked together every day. Visibly shaken, Uwitonze described surviving the tragedy as a matter of God's grace. This showed me that my time had not yet come. I am grateful to be alive, but I am deeply saddened because those who died were people I shared my daily life with. Jean Marie Vianney Byarugaba, the vice-president of COTRAKI Cooperative, said there were 10 workers inside the quarry when it collapsed. According to him, the cooperative follows established safety procedures before excavation begins. An engineer is assigned to inspect the quarry before workers begin mining activities. What happened was a shock and a tragic accident, he said. Byarugaba said the cooperative was working closely with the bereaved families to organise the burials. We are all devastated. The people we lost were hardworking members of our cooperative, and many were heads of their households, he said. He added that every family would receive burial support from the cooperative. He also said all cooperative members are covered by insurance. While families prepare to bury their loved ones, questions surrounding the circumstances of the collapse remain. Sources indicate that the president of the COTRAKI Cooperative was taken into custody by Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) to assist investigators examining the incident. Efforts to obtain official confirmation from RIB were unsuccessful by press time, as the spokesperson could not be reached by phone and had not responded to inquiries. The RIB spokesperson has not yet released the findings of the investigation into the cause of the collapse.

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Bugesera quarry tragedy: Bereaved families recount their ordeal