By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Two persons, a male and a female, have been confirmed dead after the illegal mining known, also known as “Galamsey” pit, they were working in collapsed on them at Ataase, a community near Nkonya in the Amenfi East Municipality of the Western Region of Ghana.
The two were part of a group of over hundred illegal miners who were in a pit when the incident occurred.
An eyewitness, Mr. Asonaba Banasco, said in an interview with the media that the deceased were the only two in the open pit when it collapsed.
The incident is reported to have happened on Sunday, January 14, 2024.
“The man is from the community, but the lady is a stranger. They were searching for gold when the pit collapsed. Over one hundred miners were at the site, but only two were in the pit, bringing out the load.
Unfortunately, they could not survive when the pit caved in. Their bodies have since been retrieved and deposited at the Wassa Akropong Government Hospital for preservation and investigations,” he indicated.
Pictures available show an excavator retrieving the dead bodies from the pit.
Many of the miners could be seen carrying the dead bodies to a safe location.