Two persons, a male and a female were confirmed dead after an illegal mining pit where they were working collapsed on them at Ataase, a community near Nkonya in the Amenfi East Municipality of the Western Region.
The unfortunate incident happened on Sunday, January 14, 2024.
According to an eyewitness, the deceased persons were in the company with other miners when the sad incident occurred.
“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 the two were in the pit bringing out the load. They unfortunately 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 investigation,” the eyewitness identified as Asonaba Banasco narrated in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report with Connect FM.
Illegal mining, locally known as ‘galamsey’, has been a longstanding concern in Ghana, contributing to environmental degradation, deforestation, and water pollution.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured that he is prepared to put his Presidency on the line in his quest to fight illegal mining, which has become a canker to the nation.