Four suspected illegal miners have died after a galamsey pit collapsed at Skuumu near Gyaman-Nkwanta in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region, in yet another deadly tragedy linked to illegal mining activities in the country.
The incident reportedly occurred around 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, sending shockwaves through the mining community as residents and fellow miners rushed to the scene in an attempt to rescue those trapped underground.
According to reports from the area, the victims had entered an abandoned mining pit to engage in illegal mining activities when the pit suddenly caved in, burying them beneath heaps of soil and debris.
Sources indicated that the land had initially been allocated to a mining company, Volta Resource, but the site was later handed over to Logist Group Company Limited for reclamation works after authorities reportedly declared the area degraded and exhausted.
Despite ongoing reclamation efforts, the deceased allegedly entered the abandoned pit without authorisation in search of gold when the collapse occurred.
Security personnel, including officers from the Ghana Police Service and other emergency responders, were deployed to the scene shortly after the incident was reported.
Rescue operations were initially hampered by the unstable condition of the collapsed pit, forcing authorities to bring in heavy equipment to assist.
An excavator was later brought to the site on Wednesday evening to retrieve the bodies from the debris after hours of search efforts.
Reports identified the leader of the group as Solomon Amadevor, while the identities of the other three deceased persons had not officially been released as of Thursday morning, pending investigations and family notification.
Authorities are expected to continue investigations into the collapse while discussions intensify over the growing human cost of illegal mining activities across the country.
