Three Dead After Illegal Mining Pit Collapses in Asante Akyem
Two women and a man aged between 21 and 25 died after a mining pit collapsed at Odumase-Santenso.
- Three people die in a mining pit collapse.
- Victims were aged between 21 and 25.
- The victims were reportedly engaged in “one-man” mining.
Three people have died after a mining pit collapsed on them at Odumase-Santenso in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 7, 2026, according to Isaac Kyei Andoh, the Caretaker Assembly Member for the area and Assembly Member for the Bomeriso Electoral Area.
Mr. Andoh said residents alerted him shortly after the pit collapsed, prompting an immediate effort to rescue those trapped underground.
The victims, identified as two women and a man, were reportedly between 21 and 25 years old. Two of the women were residents of Bomeriso.
Mr. Andoh said he informed the Municipal Chief Executive, after which efforts were made to deploy a backhoe to the site to retrieve the victims. However, the equipment was found to be faulty.
A private backhoe was subsequently arranged, but residents had already managed to excavate the collapsed pit and recover the bodies before the equipment arrived.
The bodies were retrieved between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Necessary traditional rites were performed at the scene before the remains were transported to a mortuary.
Mr. Andoh said the victims were engaged in “one-man” mining, an illegal form of small-scale mining in which individuals dig deep pits using makeshift equipment to extract gold.
The incident has renewed concerns about the dangers associated with unregulated mining activities and the loss of young lives in hazardous mining operations within the municipality.
