Some rescuers trying to locate Yaw Benyande in the water
AN ABANDONED illegal mining pit, allegedly dug by some Chinese nationals, has caused the death of a 23-year-old man.
The deceased, identified as Yaw Benyande, said to be jobless, was reportedly swimming with his friends at about 1:00 pm on Saturday, when the tragedy struck.
The dead man, said to be an experienced swimmer, reportedly dived deep under the water, leading to his untimely death.
After several minutes of waiting, the other swimmers said Yaw was not coming out of the stagnant water and so they called for help.
Within minutes the entire surroundings of the abandoned mining pit, situated at Pompomso near Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, were reportedly covered by a sea of curious people.
All attempts to retrieve the mortal remains of Mr Yaw Benyande proved futile and so the case was eventually reported to the police as well as the chiefs and elders of the farming community.
The chiefs then proceeded to the site and performed some rituals before some divers were able to retrieve the body at 7:00 pm on Saturday.
Veronica Karikari, a Unit Committee chairperson in the area, said the galamsey pit was dug by some Chinese nationals some time ago.
According to her, the pit posed a great danger to the residents and so the committee took the matter to court for redress.
She said the court then ordered the Chinese to cover the pit “and they were covering it when some youth chased them away.”
Madam Karkari said the incensed youth mistook the covering of the pit to be illegal mining and pursued them. According to her, the Chinese had since left the town.
She said the committee members had continually been warning the residents about the danger the abandoned pit posed until the incident occurred.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi