Tragic Mining Pit Collapse in Kasotie Claims Nine Lives, Injures Several Amid Galamsey Crisis
A catastrophic collapse at an abandoned illegal mining pit in Kasotie, Atwima Mponua District of Ghana’s Ashanti Region, has resulted in at least nine deaths and multiple injuries, underscoring the lethal perils of galamsey operations.
The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on October 1, 2025, when the unstable pit caved in, trapping 16 to 20 individuals searching for gold ore despite local warnings.
By 7:30 a.m. on October 2, 2025, rescue teams had retrieved nine bodies, with four survivors in critical condition at a local hospital.
The Nkawie Divisional Police transported the deceased to Nyinahini Mortuary for autopsy and identification, as frantic community efforts—bolstered by the Kyekyewere Electoral Area Assembly Member Samuel Ayine—continued amid the site’s notoriety as a “death trap.”
Eyewitnesses reported that the group, including young locals, ignored pleas to avoid the hazardous, waterlogged pit, drawn by the promise of quick gains in Ghana’s gold-rich but unregulated mining belts.
This tragedy echoes recent fatalities, such as three deaths in a Twifo Mampong galamsey collapse on September 26, 2025, and two in Osino on January 11, 2025, highlighting a pattern of unchecked risks in abandoned sites left vulnerable by small-scale operations.
The community, reeling from grief, is demanding immediate government intervention to secure derelict pits, enforce reclamation laws, and intensify anti-galamsey patrols. “These sites are ticking bombs—how many more lives before action?” lamented a local resident in interviews.
Public fury is mounting, with calls for the Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency to map and rehabilitate thousands of such hazards nationwide, amid broader concerns over galamsey’s environmental devastation, including water pollution and forest loss.
As President Mahama’s administration ramps up enforcement—including a planned October 3 stakeholder summit with civil society—this incident serves as a grim reminder of the human cost, fueling agitation for sustainable mining reforms to protect lives and ecosystems. Investigations into the collapse are underway, with authorities vowing accountability.
