By: Amoako Kwame
Eight illegal miners have been confirmed dead after a mining pit collapsed at Manso Keniago in the Amansie South Municipality of the Ashanti Region, trapping them underground.
The incident occurred at about 10 p.m. on Thursday when the pit reportedly collapsed while the miners were working at the site in search of gold deposits.
According to officials, about 12 miners were operating at the site when the incident occurred. Four of them managed to escape, while the remaining eight were trapped underground.
All eight trapped miners have now been found dead, bringing the confirmed death toll from the incident to eight.
Personnel from the Amansie South District Police Command, the Ghana National Ambulance Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), and community volunteers were deployed to the site to undertake search and recovery operations.
Five of the deceased have reportedly been identified as residents of Manso Keniago, while the remaining three are believed to be from other surrounding communities.
The exact cause of the collapse remains unclear, and investigations are underway to determine the circumstances that led to the incident.
Amansie South Municipal Chief Executive, Benjamin Marfo, who spoke briefly to Citi News, said he was leading a team to the site to gather further information and assess the situation.
Authorities are expected to continue with the necessary procedures for the recovery and identification of the deceased as investigations into the incident continue.
