5-year-old girl drowns in galamsey pit while playing with friends

A 5-year-old girl has drowned in an abandoned illegal mining (galamsey) pit while playing with her friends at Manso Nkwanta in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.

According to eyewitnesses, the children were playing when the girl accidentally fell into the nearby abandoned galamsey pit filled with water.

Upon realizing the danger, her friends immediately reported the incident to some community members, prompting a desperate search effort.

The youth of Manso Nkwanta visited the scene and launched a search that lasted several hours.

Despite their determined efforts, the search ended in sorrow as they eventually found the girl’s lifeless body.

Residents have repeatedly called for measures to secure these hazardous sites, which threaten the community, particularly children.

This is not the first time such an incident has happened.

On Monday, April 8, 2024, two Junior High School final-year students of Abisco M/A Basic School died after falling into an abandoned illegal mining (galamsey) pit at Dunkwa-Abasewa in the Upper Denkyira East District of the Central Region.

Again, on March 18, 2024, a 25-year-old man, identified as Godfred Bobi, died in a galamsey pit at Denkyira Brofoyedu in the Central Region.

Information gathered indicates that he and several other illegal miners entered the galamsey site to mine for gold. However, it is unclear how Bobi fell into the pit, which was full of water.

Also, on March 3, 2024, it was reported that three illegal miners died in a galamsey pit collapse at Kobriso Romanmu community in the Denkyembuor district of the Eastern Region.

The victims were Kwasi Darkwa, 24, Kofi Asante,  30, and Yaw Ibrahim, 39.

Additionally, on February 23, 2024, a 22-year-old man was reported dead after he fell into a deep galamsey pit, according to a police report.

Akpi Isaac was extremely weak after he was rescued from the pit and rushed to the hospital, but a doctor pronounced him dead.

On February 14, 2024, the decomposing body of a young man was found in an abandoned galamsey pit near the River Birim at Akyem Wenchi in the Eastern region.

The deceased, known as Akoshi, was from Accra but lived in Akyem Asene in the Asene Manso Akroso district.