WR: Abandoned galamsey pit claims lives of mother, 3 children at Wassa Dunkwa

A 42-year-old woman and three children have drowned in an abandoned illegal mining (galamsey) pit at Wassa Dunkwa in the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region.

The deceased children, all boys, include two biological children of the deceased and her nephew. The eldest child was 14 years old.

Judith Quarcoe, a reporter with Green Gold FM, told Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson, host of Connect FM’s Omanbapa Morning Show, that the tragic incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when the family went to fetch firewood near a galamsey site.

According to her, the deceased and her children frequently visited the area to collect dried cocoa trees for firewood. She explained that after gathering the firewood, the children reportedly placed their loads by the roadside and decided to swim in the abandoned pit, which was filled with water.

When their mother realised they were drowning, she attempted to rescue them but also drowned in the process.

The Asankrangwa Divisional Police Command responded to the scene and conveyed the bodies to the Catholic Hospital in Asankragwa, where they have been deposited at the morgue pending autopsy.

“Illegal miners left the pit uncovered and, as a result, some children have been going there to swim. After seeing her children drowning, she decided to save them, since going to the nearby town to ask for help would have caused a delay. Some people who were passing by came to their rescue, but all of them, including the mother, were already gone. This is not the first time such an incident has occurred. It has been happening on several occasions. The husband is currently traumatised,” she indicated.

The incident has once again raised concerns about the dangers posed by abandoned galamsey pits in mining communities across the region.