A 42-year-old woman and her three sons have drowned in an abandoned illegal mining pit at Wassa Dunkwa in the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region.

The tragic incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when the family reportedly went to fetch firewood near a galamsey site.

An eyewitness told Joy News that residents in the area often visit the location to collect dried cocoa trees for firewood.

According to the eyewitness, after gathering the firewood and placing it by the roadside, the children decided to swim in a nearby pit left behind by illegal miners. The pit, which had been filled with water, turned fatal when the children began to drown.

Their mother, upon noticing the distress of her children, rushed in to rescue them. However, she was unable to save them and also drowned in the process.

The bodies were retrieved and conveyed to the morgue at the Catholic Hospital in Asankragwa.

Police at Asankrangwa have commenced investigations into the incident.

Assembly Member for Wassa Dunkwa, Paul Kata, confirmed the incident to Joy News.

The incident has renewed concerns about the dangers posed by abandoned galamsey pits in many communities across the Western Region.

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