Eight Illegal Miners Confirmed Dead Following Amansie South Pit Collapse

A tragic mining accident at Domi Keniago in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region has resulted in the deaths of eight illegal miners. The incident occurred on a Thursday night at approximately 10:00 PM when a mining pit collapsed, trapping several workers underground. Of the 12 miners believed to be on-site at the time of the disaster, only four managed to escape the falling debris unharmed. The victims were reportedly working at an abandoned site when the structural failure occurred.

Emergency response teams, including the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Police Service, and members of the District Security Council (DISEC), were quickly dispatched to the scene to coordinate recovery efforts. Utilizing four excavators to clear massive amounts of earth, responders worked through the night and subsequent days to reach those trapped. While initial reports indicated seven deaths with one miner remaining missing, local authorities later confirmed that the eighth victim had been located and was also deceased.

Hon. Benjamin Marfo, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Amansie South, confirmed the tragedy and noted that the location was a known abandoned mining area that had been illegally re-entered by the victims. The bodies of the deceased have since been retrieved from the rubble and transported to the St. Martin’s Hospital morgue for autopsy and official identification. The DCE and emergency officials remained on-site throughout the operation to assess the situation and provide support to the affected community.

As the recovery operations conclude, local authorities have launched a formal investigation into the specific cause of the collapse and are working to identify the owners of the pit. This latest disaster has reignited calls for stricter enforcement of mining safety regulations and more aggressive measures to curb illegal mining operations, often referred to as galamsey. The incident highlights the persistent risks faced by those engaging in unregulated mining activities in Ghana's mineral-rich belts, prompting renewed warnings from the District Security Council regarding the dangers of abandoned pits.