Two people were confirmed dead after an illegal gold mine collapsed at Odumase, near Konongo, the capital of the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
Local media reported that the death toll was at least three, but the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) said the third victim survived following the incident which occurred on Saturday (15 July).
The two were part of a group of illegal miners working in a concession belonging to the Northern Ashanti Mines Limited. Many of the company’s mining pits have been left abandoned exposing illegal miners who invade the area, to various hazards.
The victims had gone on a routine trip to the mining site in search of gold when the pit caved in on them. Rescue efforts were deployed to the scene in search of them.
Hundreds of residents who flocked to the scene narrate how illegal mining activities have been rife in the area.
“I came here to join the rescue mission”, said a resident who identified one of the victims as ‘Myopia’. “The other one is a foreigner he is yet to be identified”.
The remains of the victims have been sent to the morgue for preservation and autopsy. Municipal NADMO Coordinator Jones Osei Asamoah confirmed to Accra-based Asaase News that the rescue mission has ended.
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