By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Four illegal miners have died after a mining pit caved in at Bepotenten Sukuum, a farming community in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.
According to reports, the pit caved in on a group of miners at about 16:00 on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, killing four of them instantly.
The deceased have been identified as Nartey Solomon, 30; Ezekiel, 22; Awudu, 27; and Yaro, 26, all residents of Bepotenten Sukuum.
The Jacobu police command said it received information of the tragedy at about 17:30 following a call by the assemblyman of the area, Mr. Samuel Ekwam Ananse, and immediately dispatched officers to the scene.
Preliminary police investigations revealed the victims, along with one survivor, were engaging in illegal mining activities at an abandoned mine site when the pit unexpectedly caved in.
Accompanied by community members, the police officers discovered the bodies of four adult males, whose bodies had been recovered from the debris by residents.
Inspection of the bodies by police revealed severe injuries. While Ezekiel suffered catastrophic injuries, including a severed right foot and evisceration, the other three victims sustained various degrees of head injuries due to the cave-in.
The police crime-scene team inspected the site and conveyed the bodies to the St. Peter’s Catholic Hospital Mortuary in Jacobu, where they are being preserved pending autopsies.
According to reports, portions of the land where the illegal mining activities occurred are being reclaimed by a private firm.
