Four illegal miners have lost their lives following a mining pit collapse at Bepotenten Sukuum, a farming community in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.
The tragic incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, when a mining pit caved in on a group of illegal miners working at an abandoned mining site in the community.
The four victims reportedly died on the spot.
Three of the deceased have been identified as Nartey Solomon, 30; Ezekiel, 22; Awudu, 27; and Yaro, 26, all residents of Bepotenten Sukuum.
Police at Jacobu received information about the incident around 5:30 p.m. following a report by the assemblyman for the area, Samuel Ekwam Ananse, and immediately proceeded to the scene.
Preliminary investigations by the police indicated that the victims, together with one survivor, were engaged in illegal mining activities at the abandoned site when the pit suddenly collapsed. Portions of the land, according to reports, are currently being reclaimed by a private company.
With the assistance of community members, police officers found the bodies of four adult males, which had already been retrieved from the debris by local residents.
A police inspection of the bodies revealed multiple severe injuries resulting from the collapse. One of the victims, identified as Ezekiel, reportedly suffered catastrophic injuries, including the severing of a foot and severe abdominal trauma, while the other three sustained varying degrees of head injuries.
The police crime scene team later examined the site and transported the bodies to the St. Peter’s Catholic Hospital Mortuary in Jacobu, where they have been deposited pending autopsy examinations.
