Continuous rainfall and a total lack of structural support triggered a catastrophic mining pit collapse that killed four illegal miners on Wednesday afternoon, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has reported.
NADMO and district authorities observed that the unmonitored, abandoned site lacked basic safety measures, leaving the waterlogged pit walls highly unstable before they caved in on the workers at approximately 2:00 PM on 27th May 2026.
The incident occurred in Bepotenten Sukuum, a farming community in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.
The deceased, identified by police as Solomon Amediafor, 27; Ezekiel Gadze, 19; Awuku Gariba, 21; and Dennis Acquah, 23, all residents of the Bepotenten Sukuum community.
Authorities confirmed the four men were prospecting for gold at the abandoned site when the ground gave way, burying them instantly under heavy debris.
Responding to a distress call from the area’s Assemblyman, Samuel Ekwam Ananse, police officers from the Jacobu District Command and local volunteers recovered the bodies from the rubble.
A preliminary medical inspection revealed severe physical trauma as three of the victims sustained fatal head injuries from the weight of the collapse, while Gadze suffered catastrophic bodily trauma, including evisceration and a severed right foot.
The Jacobu District Crime-Scene Unit has processed the site, and the bodies have been moved to the St. Peter’s Catholic Hospital Mortuary for preservation and official autopsies.
Following the tragedy, Amansie Central District Director for NADMO, Selorm Agbove, issued an official brief calling for an immediate halt to illegal mining within the jurisdiction.
Agbove recommended that regulatory bodies mandate the immediate backfilling and reclamation of all abandoned pits and increase field inspections.
He also recommended the implementation of strict safety education, and properly equip regional emergency teams for rapid mine-rescue operations.