The late Franklin Obeng Boateng
A seven-year-old boy who left home recently at Humjibre in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai Municipality of the Western North Region and did not return, has been found dead in an illegal mining or ‘galamsey’ pit in the area.
According to information gathered, community members organised a search for the boy identified as Franklin Obeng Boateng, aka Junior, but their efforts proved unsuccessful.
The case was subsequently reported to the Sefwi Bekwai Police Command.
The search party later found the boy’s lifeless body in an abandoned galamsey pit, where he was believed to have drowned.
The Assembly Member for the Humjibre Electoral Area, Enock Nkrumah, confirmed that the little boy left home but failed to return.
“This prompted his family and some residents to launch a search for him. They searched tirelessly for the boy but all their efforts proved unsuccessful,” he noted.
He said the search ended when the boy’s lifeless body was discovered submerged in water in an abandoned galamsey pit.
“The body was retrieved from the pit, and following consultations between the police and the bereaved family, arrangements were made for his burial,” he told journalists.
The tragic incident has reignited concerns over the growing number of abandoned galamsey pits across mining communities in the area.
The residents have therefore called for urgent measures to reclaim and secure such dangerous sites to prevent more innocent persons from losing their lives.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi