6 illegal miners trapped to death in pit in Ghana
Six illegal miners have died after a pit in which they were
digging for gold collapsed on them, police reported.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Richard Salifu, made
the announcement on Tuesday in Accra.
The reports said the accident occurred on Monday in the
Ashanti Region, one of the four regions that have been experiencing a big
increase in illegal mining which destroyed the environment and polluted the
sources of drinking water.
Police said that there were 10 illegal miners in the pit
when it collapsed and that one of them managed to escape.
``Six died and three were rescued and were being treated at
a local hospital. They were digging for gold on a concession belonging to a
mining firm, the Oweriman Mining Company.
``They were trapped about eight metres underground after
they must have set off an explosive device to blast rocks,’’ Salifu said.
Report says illegal miners being trapped in pits is a
regular occurrence and does not deter those engaged in it.
However, the government has set up a task force, comprising
mainly security agencies to halt the menace in the country, mainly in the
Ashanti, Western, Eastern and Central Regions.
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