Seven dead, one still trapped after Manso Kaneago mining pit collapse
Twelve people were reportedly working at the site when the pit collapsed on Thursday night. Four escaped, while emergency teams are searching for the last of eight people trapped underground.
Seven bodies have been recovered from a collapsed mining pit at Manso Kaneago in the Amansie South Municipality of Ghana’s Ashanti Region.
Emergency officials are continuing efforts to retrieve one person who remains trapped underground following the collapse on Thursday night.
About 12 people were reportedly searching for gold at the site when the pit caved in at about 22:00 local time.
Four managed to escape, while the remaining eight were trapped, according to officials.
Personnel from the National Disaster Management Organisation, the Ghana Police Service and the District Security Council have been involved in the search and recovery operation.
The bodies recovered from the pit have been taken to a morgue. The supplied information does not identify the victims or state whether their relatives have been formally notified.
Officials described those involved as illegal miners. However, the material does not provide details about the ownership or licensing status of the site.
The cause of the collapse has not yet been established, and investigations are under way to determine what happened.
Rescue officials are expected to return to the site to continue searching for the eighth trapped person.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Amansie South, Benjamin Marfo, said he was leading a team to the area to obtain further information about the incident.
Officials have not said whether there are signs that the remaining person could still be alive.
The supplied information also does not indicate how deep the pit was, whether it had previously been abandoned or whether any safety measures were in place when the miners entered it.
The recovery operation is expected to continue while authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse.