The dead bodies after they were found
FOUR SUSPECTED illegal miners have have been confirmed dead after a deep mining pit caved in on them at Skuumu near Gyaman-Nkwanta also known as Bepotenten in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
The deceased, all males, have since been identified by local authorities as Solomon Amadevor, 27 years old, Ezekiel, 19 years old, Dennis Acquah, 24 years old and Awudu, 26 years old.
The four miners, reportedly sneaked into an abandoned galamsey site, which is currently being reclaimed by the government, to mine for gold when tragedy suddenly struck around 2:30pm, sparking anxiety and tension in the mining community.
According to reports, the trapped miners stayed under the huge sand debris for about three hours before an excavator was used to retrieve their lifeless bodies, which have been deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
Eyewitnesses said Solomon Amadevor was the leader of the four-man illegal mining gang, who secretly invaded the abandoned mining pit to dig the ground in search of the precious mineral.
According to them, while the illegal miners were busy working, a pile of huge sand suddenly caved in and trapped all of them in the pit, sending shock waves through other people who were at the scene at the time.
They said an alarm was eventually blown and authorities brought about three excavators to the scene to retrieve the dead bodies after about three hours of intense digging and searching.
“It was a heartbreaking moment. People were shouting and desperately trying to rescue the miners,” a resident told DAILY GUIDE.
Reports further indicate that Logist Group Company Limited had earlier been contracted by the government to reclaim the degraded land.
The incident has once again brought to the fore the dangers associated with illegal mining activities, which continue to claim the lives of many young people across the country.
“This should serve as a wake-up call to authorities and the youth engaging in galamsey. Too many lives are being lost,” another resident lamented.
Police have commenced investigations into the incident.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Kumasi & David Afum, Kumasi