The scene at the galamsey site after the incident
An illegal mining or ‘galamsey’ pit at Wassa Dunkwa in the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region has claimed four lives.
The deceased persons included a 42-year old mother, Abena Ayiba and her three children.
The names and ages of the three deceased children were given as Richard Asabre,13; Hayford Arthur, 11 and Eric Mensah, 9.
According to information gathered, the incident happened on Saturday afternoon when the family went to fetch firewood at a place close to the galamsey site.
A resident in the area told journalists that sometimes the family goes to that area to fetch dried cocoa trees and use as firewood.
He said on that day, after fetching the firewood, the children took the lead and dropped their firewood by the roadside and surprisingly decided to swim in the pit filled with water.
” So when their mother got to where the children were swimming, she realized that they were drowning and calling for help.
“Because nobody was around, the mother attempted to save her children. So she got inside the pit but unfortunately, she could not save them and drown with the children,”, the resident asserted.
He said later some of the youth were informed and went to the scene and managed to retrieve the lifeless bodies of the four.
Personnel from the Asankrangwa Divisional Police Command were informed and they went to the scene to help convey the bodies to a hospital’s morgue pending autopsy.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi