Fourteen illegal miners have been confirmed dead by the Police officials in Western part of Ghana after an abandoned illegal mining pit caved in on scores of people in the Prestea Nsuta community.
Local media Starr FM reported that rescue mission is underway to rescue the miners still trapped in the pit. The 80 metre pit was abandoned after the government declared war against illegal mining.
Five people have been rescued and are being interrogated by the Police.
A victim who escaped unhurt told local media he managed to get out of the pit with his 46-year-old colleague.
This latest disaster comes after the Ghana government’s effort to clamp down on illegal mining nationwide.
Meanwhile Ghana has been ranked 24th out of 81 countries involved in mining in 2016. This also comes on the back of a drop from its 15th position in 2013 which surveyed 58 countries.
The 2017 Resource Governance Index which was published in London, surveyed a total of 81 countries involved in oil, gas and mining.
The report aims at assessing policies and practices that authorities employ to govern the said resources in their countries.
Revenue management proved to be the weakest element in the governance of Ghana’s mining sector as it performed poorly and ranked 23rd among 33 countries’ assessments of sub national revenue sharing mechanisms.
Source: Africafeeds.com / Fred Dzakpata
