A tragic mining accident at Mpasatia Yaw Nkwantah in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region has claimed the lives of two individuals after an illegal mining pit caved in on Tuesday morning.
Rescue efforts are ongoing, as authorities and local residents work tirelessly to locate and save other miners feared to be trapped beneath the rubble. The deceased have been retrieved and sent to the morgue, awaiting identification and notification of their families.
Eyewitnesses recount that the pit collapsed suddenly, giving miners inside little time to escape. According to locals, the site is privately owned, and individuals are allowed to mine without adequate safety measures.
A community member, Nana Nkansah, attributed the disaster to the fragile nature of the soil due to excessive excavation. “They had mined deep into the pits. The top had become weak, and that is how the place caved in,” he told Joy News.
Reports indicate that miners in the area use simple tools to dig dangerously deep pits, putting themselves at constant risk. Worryingly, this is not the first fatal accident at the site—residents say a similar collapse occurred in the past, yet illegal mining activities have persisted.
Despite ongoing efforts by the Ashanti Regional Security Council to clamp down on illegal mining, such operations continue across the region. Authorities have not yet disclosed whether arrests will be made in connection with the latest tragedy. Meanwhile, families of the missing miners wait anxiously as the search for survivors continues.
