Seven Dead, Four Trapped After Galamsey Pit Collapses

Seven illegal miners have died and four others are feared trapped underground after a galamsey pit collapsed at Asaman Tamfoe in the Atewa East District of the Eastern Region.

The deadly incident occurred at about 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 29, 2026, while the miners were reportedly working inside the pit in search of gold.

The collapse has triggered a major rescue operation, with community members, police officers and emergency personnel working to reach the four miners still believed to be trapped beneath the debris.

According to news reports, two miners who were not inside the pit when it collapsed rushed to the community to seek help. Residents quickly mobilised and began a search and rescue operation while the Police and other emergency agencies were alerted.

Rescue teams worked through the night and succeeded in retrieving the remains of seven of the 11 miners believed to have been trapped underground.

Five of the deceased have reportedly been identified as residents of Moseaso, while the remaining two are said to be from the Asaman Tamfoe community.

Personnel from the Anyinam District Police Command, the Ghana National Ambulance Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and community volunteers are at the scene as efforts continue to locate the four missing miners.

A video shared on X by media personality Johnnie Hughes on August 30 showed the difficult rescue operation at the site. In the footage, a heavy-duty excavator and several people could be seen working to remove large amounts of sand and debris.

One of the victims was seen trapped under thick sand, with rescuers struggling to free him as they carefully removed the material covering his body.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the dangers associated with illegal mining, particularly the risks faced by people who enter unstable and poorly managed mining pits in search of gold.

The exact cause of the collapse is yet to be established, and authorities are expected to provide further information as rescue operations continue. The identities of all the victims have also not been officially disclosed.

The tragedy comes at a time when security agencies are stepping up operations against illegal mining activities in different parts of the country.

In a separate operation in the Savannah Region, 10 suspected illegal miners were arrested at Kpali, near Gbinyiri in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District.

The arrests were made during an anti-illegal mining operation conducted by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) in collaboration with the Northern Command of the Ghana Army and the Ghana Police Service.

According to a post by SIKAOFFICIAL on X on Saturday, August 29, the operation took place between August 25 and 27, following a reconnaissance mission that confirmed reports of illegal mining in the area.

The joint security team subsequently moved into the area and arrested the 10 suspects believed to be involved in illegal mining activities.

The operation forms part of wider efforts by the government and security agencies to tackle galamsey and protect the country’s forests, farmlands and water bodies.

While the arrests represent part of the ongoing enforcement campaign, the deaths at Asaman Tamfoe highlight the human cost of illegal mining and the dangerous conditions under which some miners continue to work.

For families in Moseaso and Asaman Tamfoe, however, the focus remains on the four miners still underground, as rescue teams continue their difficult search for possible survivors.