A 42-year-old woman and her three sons have tragically drowned in an abandoned illegal mining pit at Wassa Dunkwa in the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region.
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when the family reportedly went to fetch firewood near a galamsey site.
An eyewitness told Joy News that residents in the area frequently visit the location to collect dried cocoa trees for firewood. After gathering the wood and placing it by the roadside, the children allegedly entered a nearby water-filled pit left behind by illegal miners to swim.
The pit, however, proved deadly when the children began to struggle in the water.
Their mother, upon noticing their distress, rushed in an attempt to rescue them but was unable to save her sons and also drowned in the process.
The bodies were later retrieved and transported to the morgue at the Catholic Hospital Asankragwa.
Police at Asankragwa have launched investigations into the incident.
Assembly Member for Wassa Dunkwa, Paul Kata, confirmed the tragedy, which has reignited concerns over the dangers posed by abandoned galamsey pits in several communities across the Western Region.
