Seven miners have been confirmed dead following the collapse of a mining pit at Manso Keniago in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region.
The incident, which occurred at about 9:40 p.m. on Thursday, September 3, left eight miners trapped underground after the pit reportedly caved in while mining activities were ongoing.
Rescue teams recovered the bodies of seven of the trapped miners, while efforts were made to locate and retrieve the remaining miner buried under the collapsed earth.
According to information gathered, a distress call was placed to the Amansie South District office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) shortly after the incident.
The report prompted the immediate deployment of a response team to the mining site to support the rescue efforts and assess the situation.
An eyewitness, 42-year-old John Paintsil, who was working underground at the time of the collapse, said 12 men were undertaking mining activities inside the pit when it suddenly caved in.
Mr Paintsil was among those who managed to escape following the collapse.
According to him, four of the 12 miners escaped without injuries, while the remaining eight were trapped beneath the collapsed earth.
The rescue operation subsequently intensified, with emergency responders working to locate the trapped miners and recover those who had been buried.
Seven bodies have since been recovered, while the search for the eighth victim continues.
Authorities are yet to officially disclose the identities of the deceased miners or provide further details on the circumstances that led to the collapse.
The incident has once again raised concerns about safety at mining sites, particularly operations where miners work underground under potentially unstable conditions.
By 1960news.com
