A 50-year-old woman, popularly known as Auntie Akos, has tragically lost her life after falling into an abandoned mining pit at the Mpasatia Community Miner Site in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region.
Eyewitnesses say the incident occurred while she was walking through the area and accidentally slipped into one of the numerous abandoned galamsey (illegal mining) pits scattered across the site.
Nearby workers quickly rushed to rescue her and succeeded in retrieving her from the pit. She was rushed to the Frimpong Boateng Clinic in Toase but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The tragic incident has reignited concerns over the increasing number of unregulated and unrehabilitated mining pits in the region, which continue to endanger lives.
Residents are urging the Minerals Commission and local authorities to urgently reclaim or secure these abandoned sites to prevent future tragedies.
“This should not keep happening. These pits have become death traps, and something must be done now,” a resident said.
