Three individuals have lost their lives following the collapse of a mining pit in Odumase-Santenso, located within the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
As reported by Isaac Kyei Andoh, the Caretaker Assembly Member for the area and the Assembly Member for the Bomeriso Electoral Area, the tragic event took place around 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 7, 2026.
He mentioned that residents notified him after the pit collapsed, which led to immediate rescue efforts for those trapped inside.
The victims have been identified as two women and one man, all aged between 21 and 25 years.
Mr. Andoh noted that two of the deceased women were from Bomeriso.
He promptly informed the Municipal Chief Executive, and attempts were made to send a backhoe to recover the bodies. Unfortunately, the machinery was malfunctioning.
He further explained that a private backhoe was later arranged, but by the time it arrived, community members had already excavated the collapsed pit and retrieved the bodies themselves.
The recovery of the bodies took place between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Necessary rites were conducted at the site before the bodies were transported to the mortuary.
Mr. Andoh stated that the victims were involved in “one-man” mining, an illegal small-scale mining practice where individuals dig deep pits with rudimentary tools to extract gold.
“I received a call around 4 p.m. two days ago regarding the pit collapse. We organized a vehicle to recover the bodies from the pit. The chiefs performed certain rites before the three bodies were taken to the mortuary. The deceased consist of two women and one man, aged between 21 and 25 years. The pit collapsed and resulted in their deaths,” he remarked.
This incident has reignited concerns regarding the hazards linked to illegal mining and the tragic loss of young lives in unregulated mining activities within the municipality.
