On Friday, Could 15, a rescue operation on the Asante Akyem Central Municipality mining concession ended with a mixture of reduction and worry as 10 miners have been pulled from the rubble of a collapsed underground mine.
The incident occurred on a property belonging to Northern Mines Restricted in Konongo, often called the gold mining hub of the Ashanti area. 9 individuals have been efficiently rescued with minor accidents, however witnesses mentioned one particular person remained in vital situation at a neighborhood medical facility, battling life-threatening accidents sustained in the course of the collapse.
The collapse reportedly occurred when a part of an underground tunnel collapsed with out warning. Fellow miners and native emergency responders acted rapidly to achieve the trapped males utilizing hand instruments and excavators.
The collapse of Konongo shouldn’t be an remoted occasion however a part of a safety disaster in Ghana’s mining sector.
Whereas giant multinational mines usually preserve strict security protocols, small and medium-sized concessions, each authorized and unlawful, have turn into a dying entice for 1000’s of younger Ghanaians.
The geology of the Asante Akyem area is notoriously unstable, with sections of the bottom riddled with unsupported tunnels as a result of unlawful mining and poorly regulated small-scale actions. When heavy rains or tectonic modifications happen, these holes primarily turn into sandcastles below huge strain.
The human price of Ghana’s gold rush is staggering. Many individuals die yearly.
