Seven people r died on Thursday at Manso Kaniago in the Amansie South district of the Ashanti Region when an illegal mining pit collapsed them.
The Ashanti Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Alhaji Mohammed Nasir Ibrahim, who confirmed the incident, said the victims were seemingly trapped underground while they engaged in illegal mining activities.
According to him, 12 people were said to be working in the mining pit at the time of the collapse. “Four people managed to escape,” he said.
Mr. Ibrahim said efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining persons after seven bodies were retrieved. He indicated that authorities are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
National Security sources said the spate of fatalities from illegal mining have heightened calls for intensified enforcement against illegal mining and stronger measures to secure abandoned and uncovered mining sites to protect residents in communities who are exposed to the dangers of open pits.
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