Seven out of eight individuals who tragically lost their lives after an illegal mining pit collapsed on 17 miners at Domi Keniago in the Ashanti Region have been retrieved, Benjamin Marfo, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Amansie South, has revealed.
The tragic incident occurred on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at approximately 9:40 p.m. in the Amansie South District while the victims were actively mining. One survivor, 42-year-old John Paintsil, who managed to escape, recounted that 12 men were working inside the pit at the exact moment of the collapse.
The DCE described has the incident as a tragic and unfortunate event, noting that the illegal miners had ventured into the abandoned pit under the cover of darkness.
He explained that officers from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) have consistently clamped down on galamsey operators in the area, but the illegal miners take advantage of night hours when officials are off duty to return to the site.
In detailing the rescue operations, Benjamin Marfo said, “I had to mobilize members of DISEC for us to go to the scene in the morning. Seven of the victims have been retrieved. The exercise was not an easy one, and so I appealed to a mining company in the area, Asanko Gold Mine, to assist us. They agreed, and so we are currently trying to retrieve the one other dead person. The bodies of the deceased have been sent to the St. Martin’s Hospital.”
He further noted that because illegal miners continuously exploit the lack of evening surveillance at the abandoned site, local authorities are altering their approach.
The DCE assured that he will collaborate with NADMO to establish dedicated evening patrols to permanently clear illegal miners from the area, emphasizing that while the fight against galamsey remains difficult, local authorities stay fully committed to bringing an end to it.
