One person has died while two others have been injured after a galamsey pit in which they were digging for gold caved in at Ehyireso, Prestea in the Western Region.

The incident which occurred over the weekend has been blamed on the involvement of some chiefs and land owners in the community.

District Police Officer for Prestea, DSP Timothy Dassah said the chiefs and landlords secretly give out the lands to people in order to make money.

He said because the lands are situated far away from town, the police have found it increasingly difficult to immediately clamp down on the activities of the illegal miners.  

DSP Dassah said sometimes police officers will have to cross rivers before they get to the site of the illegal operations.

He said the Police Services has organized several educational forums to inform members about the risks associated with illegal mining and that even though some are collaborating others are not.

“Some of them are cooperating but others especially in places where we have two factions claiming ownership of the land, it becomes a problem there and that is one of the issues we have been encountering here”.

He said the police are doing everything within their power to ensure these occurrences are reduced.