Three young people have lost their lives following the collapse of a mining pit at Odumase-Santenso in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The victims; two women and a man aged between 21 and 25 were reportedly undertaking illegal small-scale mining, commonly referred to as “one-man” mining, when the pit caved in at about 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 7.
The incident was brought to the attention of Isaac Kyei Andoh, the caretaker Assembly Member for the area and Assembly Member for the Bomeriso Electoral Area, who said residents immediately began efforts to reach those trapped underground.
Mr Andoh said he notified the Municipal Chief Executive, after which arrangements were made to bring in heavy equipment for the recovery operation. The first backhoe secured for the exercise, however, was not operational.
A privately owned machine was subsequently mobilised, but residents had already managed to dig through the collapsed section and retrieve the bodies before it arrived.
The recovery was completed between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., after which traditional rites were conducted at the site. The remains were later taken to a mortuary.
Two of the deceased were said to have been residents of Bomeriso.
Mr Andoh described the victims as young people involved in a dangerous form of mining that typically involves digging deep pits with limited equipment.
“I got a call around 4 pm two days ago about the pit collapse. We mobilised a vehicle to release the bodies from the pit. The chiefs performed some rites before the three bodies were sent to the mortuary. The deceased include two women and a man, aged between 21 and 25 years. The pit caved in and killed them,” he said.
The incident has renewed calls for greater attention to the safety risks associated with illegal mining activities, particularly the use of unstable and unregulated mining pits.
