By Yaw Opoku Amoako
Copyright ghanaguardian
A mining pit collapse at Manso Takorase in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region has left three people dead on Thursday afternoon.
According to eyewitness accounts, the victims, believed to be local small-scale miners, were trapped when the walls of the pit gave way, burying them under debris.
Despite frantic rescue efforts by fellow miners and residents, all three were later pulled out lifeless. Their remains have been deposited at the St. Martin’s Catholic Hospital morgue. Police and local authorities have since launched investigations into the incident.
The tragedy has reignited concerns about the dangers of illegal small-scale mining, or galamsey, which continues to thrive in the Amansie South enclave despite government clampdown measures. Residents blame recurring accidents on poor safety practices and the absence of structural reinforcements in abandoned or active pits.
Opinion leaders who visited the site appealed to government and the Minerals Commission to strengthen regulation of mining activities and to provide alternative livelihood programs to curb the youth’s reliance on unsafe mining.
The Amansie South District, a hub of mining activity, has recorded several similar disasters in recent years, fueling calls for stricter enforcement of mining laws and education on safety.
This latest incident follows closely on the heels of another pit collapse at Kasotie in the Atwima Mponua District on Tuesday, which claimed seven lives and left several others injured.
