Three people have died after a mining pit collapsed on them at Odumase-Santenso in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

The victims, two women and a man, were reportedly between 21 and 25 years old.

According to a report, the incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 7.

Caretaker Assembly Member for the area and Assembly Member for the Bomeriso Electoral Area, Isaac Kyei Andoh, said residents alerted him shortly after the pit caved in, prompting an immediate attempt to rescue those trapped underground.

He said he informed the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), after which arrangements were made to bring in a backhoe to retrieve the victims. However, the equipment developed a fault and could not be used.

A private backhoe was subsequently arranged, but by the time it arrived, residents had already managed to dig through the collapsed pit and recover the bodies.

According to Mr Andoh, the bodies were retrieved between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Traditional rites were performed at the scene before the remains were conveyed to the mortuary.

He said the victims were engaged in what is locally known as “one-man” mining, an illegal form of small-scale mining in which individuals dig deep pits with makeshift equipment in search of gold.

“I got a call around 4 pm two days ago about the pit collapse. We mobilised a vehicle to release the bodies from the pit. The chiefs performed some rites before the three bodies were sent to the mortuary. The deceased include two women and a man, aged between 21 and 25 years. The pit caved in and killed them,” he said.

The incident has once again raised concerns about the dangers associated with unregulated mining activities and the increasing loss of young lives in illegal mining operations within the municipality.