Abandoned galamsey pit kills twins in Twifo Morkwa

Despite its benefits to some persons as it serves as a source of income and livelihood, illegal and unregulated mining in Ghana, popularly known as “galamsey,” has largely been responsible for deforestation, land degradation, water pollution, and pits that set death traps for indigenous people.

According to a concerned indigene of Twifo Atti-Morkwa in the Central Region of Ghana, lots of children in the community have met their untimely death due to these abandoned pits, with the latest one being that of two-and-a-half-year-old twins who were found floating in an abandoned “galamsey” pit, closer to the residence of their parents, in Twifo Atti-Morkwa.

He called on authorities to intervene in the situation to help minimize or halt future occurrences.

Speaking with the mother of the deceased twins, Kate Agbagba said the kids were playing in the room while she lay down to take a nap owing to some ill health.

After a while, she noticed she wasn’t hearing from them, so she woke up to look for them in and around the room and the compound.

After looking for them for close to an hour with no success, she continued scouting for the kids towards where the pit was, and to her shock, she saw the kids floating in the pit.

She said she called for rescuers who came to pull the bodies of the children from the pit.

The issue was then reported to the leaders of the community, who also proceeded to report to the police for investigations to be conducted.

The assembly member for the Twifo Atti-Morkwa electoral area expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased twins and asked the galamsey operators to fill the various pits in the community and explore other processes in recovering the land after its abuse.

George Sam said it is unfortunate to lose kids with bright futures, especially in this manner.