A 46-year-old woman, Afua Lucy Amponsah, has drowned in a galamsey pit at Manso Domenase in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, 15 September 2020.
Confirming the incident to Class News’ regional correspondent Elisha Adarkwah on Wednesday, 16 September 2020, the Operations Director of the National Disaster and Management Organisation (NADMO) for the area, Mr Joseph Appiah-Kubi, said there was a phone call from the Assembly member for the area “indicating to the NADMO officials that one person had drowned in the mining pit that was left uncovered by these illegal operators.”
He noted that a team comprising personnel from the Ghana Police Service and NADMO were deployed to the scene of the incident.
“When we went there, we found out that Maame Afua Amponsah was in the mining pit.”
He further noted that the body of the deceased was retrieved from the mining hole and deposited at the St. Martin’s Hospital morgue at Agroyesum.
Mr Appiah-Kubi also revealed that people were still engaging in illegal mining also known as galamsey even after the government banned the activity.
He explained: “We have recalcitrant people in the world as well as in Ghana here. Government has put in interventions on banning these illegal activities to avert this situation, but still, people don’t want to understand what is going on. And so this woman went to the place where she met her death at an uncovered mining pit dug by these illegal operators and she went there for galamsey activities.”
Police officials have since commenced investigations into the matter.
The Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration banned galamsey activities when it assumed office in 2017.
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