7 dead, 5 rescued, others buried under collapsed galamsey pit

Seven miners are confirmed dead with five others rescued after an illegal mining pit caved in on them at Korle Teye (Takorso site) in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region.

It was reported yesterday that about 30 were trapped under the debris with locals helping to rescue them.

According to reports, five of the trapped miners have been rescued alive, with the lifeless bodies of the seven laid out in the open as of the time of filing this report.

According to an eyewitness, the five were rushed to the hospital with injuries but many more remained trapped as darkness set in.

The accident is thought to have occurred at about 10 am but as of 5:30 pm, no official rescue effort had been established at the scene, with only the miners and other locals doing what they could in the rescue efforts.

Eyewitnesses alleged that calls to the Police, Fire Service, and National Disaster Management Organisation yielded no immediate results.

It was also reported that the illegal miners were ready to harm anyone who attempted to take photographs at the scene because they did not want any attention drawn to the disaster.

Meanwhile, two teenage girls, identified as Alicia and Anita Asare, have been confirmed dead after falling into a galamsey pit at Sanfo-Aduam in the Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

Both girls are 13 years and students of Sanfo-Aduam SDA primary school.

Information gathered revealed that both girls were trapped in the pit for hours before some community members eventually rescued them.

According to an eyewitness, the deceased reportedly drowned in the pit while swimming in a river surrounded by several galamsey pits.

Close sources revealed that the girls died on Friday, April 21, 2023, in the company of their friends who had gone on a swimming expedition.

Hundreds of mourners who showed up at their funerals to commiserate with the family expressed worry over how numerous galamsey pits have been abandoned in the area.

They called on authorities in the area to work towards covering all pits left in the community by illegal miners to protect residents from falling into them.