35 Feared Dead In Galamsey Pit Collapse

At least 35 illegal miners are feared dead after they were trapped in a mining pit at Bonsawire near Asuoso in the Western Region.

The incident, according to an eyewitness, occurred around 4:30am Monday. The development has reportedly brought mining activities at the center to a halt as residents are occupied with rescue efforts.

“So far 30 people are still trapped in the pit. We have been able to rescue two people, one is dead and the other is seriously injured. It has become difficult rescuing those still trapped in the pit. This area is a forest Zone and according to those here, activities were ongoing this dawn when the entire enclave for the illegal mining collapsed.

“What is happening now is that, people in the community who are to help rescue the people are hesitant. The problem is that the security agencies and officials supposed to clamp down on this illegal mining take bribe and allow the operations to continue,” the eyewitness, Kwame recounted.

Unconfirmed reports say two persons have so far been rescued by the local folks while the 33 others are still trapped in the pit.