The Assistant Headmaster of Mpatasia D/A has lost his life after falling into a galamsey pit in the Ashanti Region.
The unfortunate incident, which occurred on Tuesday, October 4, has shocked many in the community.
The deceased, Akwasi Anane, also the secretary to the Local Unit Committee, had gone to his mining concession in the late hours of Tuesday but failed to return.
The 47-year-old teacher reportedly missed his step and fell into one of the abandoned mining pits.
The body has since been removed from the pit and conveyed to St. Martin’s Hospital at Agroyesum for autopsy and preservation.
Meanwhile, the police in the area have begun an investigation into the matter.
There have been concerns that illegal mining is not just destroying the country’s water bodies but also depriving families of their breadwinners.
Beyond mass deaths, illegal mining poses threats to the environment leading to a fight by the government to clamp down on such activities.
Water bodies like River Pra are still looking brownish with residues of cyanide.
Some areas of the country initially covered by thick vegetation have become bare, leaving many to wonder if an end is near.
Mining-related deaths in the past
Just last month (September 12, 2022), five people who were said to be engaged in illegal mining were trapped to death in a pit at Nangruma in the Mamprugu/Moaduri District in the North East Region.
They were prospecting for gold in an abandoned pit, an area some Chinese nationals are said to have earlier mined and left uncovered.
The pit collapsed and trapped them on Monday afternoon. They were identified as Kwaku Noah, Issahaku Osman, Mohammed Ibrahim, Salifu and Aliu Waliu.
On September 9, 2021, three illegal miners died in a mining pit at Akyem Apinamang, a farming and mining community in the Denkyembuor District of the Eastern Region.
The deceased were Akosua Asantewaa, 41; Yaw Ntiamoah, 35; and Yaw Bismark, 25.
According to police, the assembly member for Akyem Apinamang, John Boakye, reported the incident to them after a hint that a pit had collapsed on some illegal miners around the old Apinamang cemetery.
The police then proceeded to the scene and found three bodies covered with leaves.
On June 3, 2021, nine persons trapped in an underground mining pit at Gbane in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region were confirmed dead.
The miners were trapped in tunnels in the underground pit following a heavy downpour on Tuesday, June 1.
A rescue team retrieved their bodies after spending almost three days pumping water out of the pit.
Again, on November 26, 2020, eight persons were reported dead at Ayanfuri in the Central Region after an illegal mine collapsed and trapped them.
The incident happened at Phase four, a place near Ayanfuri.
Despite attempts by residents to rescue the victims, they were pronounced dead on arrival at the Dunkwa-On-Offin Government Hospital.
On October 2, 2020, at least five miners were killed and 15 others critically injured in a collapsed mining pit in Ghana’s Central Region.
One person died on May 2, 2020, after a mining pit caved in at Anyinam in the Eastern Region.
The deceased, 37-year-old Abdul Razak Bempong, is believed to have sustained serious injuries due to the collapse.
Mr Bempong was rushed to the Enyiresi Government Hospital for treatment but died shortly after arrival at the facility.