Mining pit kills three ‘galamseyers’ in Eastern Region
Three illegal miners (galamseyers) have died in a mining pit at Akyem Apinamang, a farming and mining community in the Denkyembuor District of the Eastern Region.
Their names were given as Akosua Asantewaa, who is believed to be aged 41; Yaw Ntiamoah, 35; and Yaw Bismark, 25 years.
According to police, the assembly member for Akyem Apinamang, John Boakye, reported the incident to them after a hint that a pit had collapsed on some illegal miners around the old Apinamang cemetery.
The police then proceeded to the scene and found three bodies covered with leaves.
Information gathered by the police indicated that they were in the pit mining for gold.
The bodies were removed and deposited at Saint Dominic’s Hospital for preservation and autopsy.
The Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Ebenezer Tetteh, said the incident is being investigated.
Recent mining deaths in the Eastern Region
In May this year, a 37-year-old, Abdul Razak Bempong, was reported dead after a mining pit caved in at Anyinam in the Eastern Region.
The deceased was said to have sustained serious injuries because of the collapse. He was rushed to the Enyiresi Government Hospital for treatment but died shortly after arriving at the facility.
According to a police report, the incident occurred around 7 am on May 1, 2020, at the site of Gold Bank Mining Limited.
Earlier, a 10-year-old boy was found dead in a mining pit near a school at Anyinam in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region.
The deceased allegedly drowned in a pit after school hours. His body was retrieved by the police and deposited at the Kibi Government Hospital morgue.
It was observed that uncovered mining pits dotted around the community continued to claim the lives of residents in Anyinam and its environs.
The vulnerable situation of the area is being worsened by activities of illegal miners digging holes haphazardly around homes and pathways.
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