At least 14 people are feared dead after a Galamsey pit they were working in caved in at Prestea in the Western Region.
Five others, who managed to escape unhurt, are assisting the Police with investigations.
[contextly_sidebar id=”DrwiJBOlHAwhC5ENKTrc2hugFhDZqCqC”]The Prestea District Police Commander, Superintendent Atsu Dzineku, told Citi News that the Police are also trying to retrieve the bodies of the victims.
“We visited the site and the information we gathered through the Committee Chairman was that 14 were dead. We are trying to retrieve the bodies. There were a few survivors. Those who escaped death are the eyewitnesses so they briefed us. They were coming out when all of the sudden they heard the noise which means the pit caved in. Those behind them were trapped. It is an old galamsey pit and they sneaked in to operate when this happened.”
Reports of mining pits caving in on illegal miners in Ghana is not a new phenomenon, as many lives have been lost as a result.
in 2016, two people died when a pit caved in on them at Akyem Ahwenease in the Eastern Region.
Some of the pits have been abandoned for several months by multinational mining companies that have been licensed to operate in the country.
Small-scale illegal miners often take advantage of the absence of the companies to mine in these already dug out and abandoned pits despite the danger it poses.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citfimonline.com/Ghana