Investigations have commenced into the tragic hillside mining collapse at Asaman Tamfoe in the Atewa East District of the Eastern Region, which claimed the lives of seven suspected illegal miners.
The District Security Council, led by the District Chief Executive, is expected to visit the scene of the disaster on Monday and commiserate with the bereaved families as authorities work to establish the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
Seven illegal miners were confirmed dead after a backfilled mining land collapsed on them while they were allegedly digging beneath the reclaimed portion of the site.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, August 30, 2026, after the miners reportedly sneaked into the area to engage in illegal mining, popularly referred to in the local parlance as “Koli Koli.”
According to one of the survivors, who was not inside the pit at the time of the incident, the victims were digging beneath a hillside section of the reclaimed land when it suddenly gave way, trapping them beneath a huge volume of earth and debris.
Police and local rescuers were subsequently alerted, leading to the mobilisation of a search and rescue team, with other emergency agencies joining efforts to retrieve the victims.
Rescuers worked for several hours through the night and eventually recovered the bodies of all seven miners from beneath the debris.
Five of the deceased have reportedly been identified as residents of Moseaso, while the remaining two are believed to be residents of Asaman Tamfoe.
Personnel from the Anyinam District Police Command, the Ghana National Ambulance Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation, NADMO, and community volunteers remain involved in managing the aftermath of the disaster.
The incident has left the affected communities in mourning, with families struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss of their relatives.
Meanwhile, the chief of Asaman Tamfoe has performed libation, stating that the miners breached the customary observance of Akwasidae by engaging in mining activities on the sacred day.
As investigations continue, the tragedy has once again brought into sharp focus the dangers associated with illegal mining, particularly the practice of digging beneath unstable and backfilled mining lands.
DISEC is expected to provide further details following their assessment of the scene and engagements with the affected families.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
