Two people have died following the collapse of an illegal mining pit at Mpasatia Yaw Nkwantah in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region on Tuesday morning.

Others are believed to be trapped in the pit as rescue efforts to retrieve the illegal miners continue.

The identities of the dead and persons trapped in the illegal mining pit remain unknown.

It took the efforts of persons within the community to retrieve the bodies of the deceased, together with police and other security agencies, efforts are being made to rescue the others.

According to some members of the community, the concession is owned by an individual who has given them the authorization to mine without proper supervision.

Narrating the incident to Joy News, Nana Nkansah said, “they had mined deep into the pits. The top had become weak and that is how the place caved in.”

Nana Nkansah emphasized that the miners in the area deploy simple tools in the digging of pits which go deep into the bellies of the earth.

Bodies of the deceased are deposited at the morgue awaiting identification of family members.

This is the second time such incident has happened in the same pit being mined illegally.

Though the Ashanti Regional Security Council has waged war against illegal mining, the phenomenon persists in many areas of the Ashanti Region.