‘Two ‘illegal miners’ die in abandoned pit’ 2 February 2020

Two men, described by the police as “illegal miners,” have been confirmed dead, while others sustained injuries after an abandoned mining pit collapsed on them at dawn last Tuesday. The incident happened at Panyinikrom, a farming community near Kyeremasu in the Dormaa East District in the Bono Region. The police identified the deceased as Patrick Osei, popularly known as Atta Small, 37, and Kofi Tutu, 25. The two suspected illegal miners were said to have gone to the abandoned galamsey site with others to engage in illegal mining.

The Daily Graphic also gathered that there were about seven illegal miners in the pit at the time of the unfortunate incident. Although their colleagues managed to come out, luck eluded the two who were unable to do so. Their colleagues, however, bolted and left them to their fate after realising that they could not come out of the pit.