Tragedy at Dunkwa

ePageTitle">Tragedy at Dunkwa

… As over 130 illegal miners are feared dead

… As over 130 illegal miners are feared dead
By: Albert Nana Asante,
Dunkwa-on-Offin
OVER 130 small scale miners operating along the Offin river are feared dead when the river over flooded its banks and filled the pit in which they were mining gold at Akyempim, near Dunkwa-on-Offin in the central region.

Briefing The Chronicle after visiting the scene, the Upper Denkyira East Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Samuel Buabeng said distress calls have been sent to the various mining companies to bring rescue teams to assist in rescuing the trapped miners.

Superintendent Buabeng, who could not give the exact number of people trapped in the pit, said about 136 people were reported to be inside the pit when the incident happened around 1pm on Sunday.

'I can confirm that some illegal miners have been trapped, but as I am speaking to you now, we have not been able to rescue any of them', he stressed.

The Municipal chief executive for Dunkwa, Peter Kofi Owusu Ashia, who also spoke to the media, confirmed that about 136 people have been trapped underground. According to him, though the leadership of the illegal miners claimed that only 11 people were in the pit, they could not provide any evidence to back their claim.

The advance rescue team to the site, at the time of filing this report, were trying to pump out  water from the pit, before the bodies could be removed.