2 die in galamsey pit

An abandoned pit at Nsadweso, near Akyempim in the Wassa East District of the Western Region, has reportedly caved in, killing two people and injuring two others.

According to sources, five illegal miners (galamseyers) were operating in the pit when it caved in, trapping the two and killing them.

Eyewitnesses indicated that the incident happened at about 5:30 pm on Monday, August 21.

They claimed that the three who managed to escape suffered various degrees of injury and were rushed to a nearby clinic in the district for treatment.

The Akyempim police station officer, Chief Inspector Emmanuel Tetteh, indicated that investigations had commenced earnestly to establish the cause of the incident and the real identities of the deceased and the injured.

It would be recalled that over 20 galamsey operators at Prestea Nsuta in the region also met their untimely deaths recently when the pit in which they were working caved in.

The pit had to be covered following a directive by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu.

As part of efforts to halt the galamsey menace, the government has formed a task force codenamed, ‘Operation Vanguard’ to arrest recalcitrant illegal miners.

In the Western Region alone, about 15 suspected illegal miners had so far been arrested by ‘Operation Vanguard’ – made up of a team of military and police personnel.