Reuters AlertNet Lite - Ghana gold pit collapse kills nine illegal miners

Reuters AlertNet Full site

NEWSDESK

Ghana gold pit collapse kills nine illegal miners

18 Apr 2007 11:04:57 GMT
Source: Reuters

ACCRA, April 18 (Reuters) - Nine illegal gold miners, six of them women, were killed in Ghana this week when the abandoned pit they were working in collapsed, police said on Wednesday.

Nine bodies were recovered from the pit which caved in on Monday near Wassa Akropong in the Western Region of Ghana, Africa's second biggest gold producer after South Africa.

"It is an illegal operation. It collapsed, they got trapped inside," said Western Region Police Commander Kofi Arthur, who added that one person survived the accident.

Between 300,000 and 500,000 small-scale artisanal miners, known locally as galamsey, are estimated to be working in Ghana. Pit accidents and cave-ins at unsupervised sites are common.

Monday's accident occurred not far from a legal concession operated by U.S.-based Golden Star Resources Ltd., which sent a rescue team to the collapsed pit.

Some galamsey are legally registered and have their own concessions. But most work illegally on or near the concessions of large foreign gold companies, often in makeshift pits where they use hammers and chisels to hack out gold-bearing ore.

In recent months, authorities have moved to evict illegal miners from legal concessions held by big mining companies.

In December, four people were shot and wounded at the mining town of Prestea during an eviction operation.

AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article Send comments

Topics

• Women

MORE >>

Countries

Small country map
© 2004 Europa Technologies Ltd.

Reset map

• Ghana profile
· View map

MORE >>

NGO latest

• Health Care for Sudanese--Complicated but Doable--Read On To See NEF Multifaceted Strategy
NEF - USA

• Developing Haiti's Bel Air
Norwegian Church Aid - Norway

• Christian Aid joins green.tv
Christian Aid - UK

• National Study on Child Abuse reveals widespread abuse of girls and boys in India
Save the Children - International Alliance

• Christian Aid comment on 5 April Gleneagles event
Christian Aid - UK

MORE >>

Latest news

• Ghana gold pit collapse kills nine illegal miners

• Bosnia Serb ex-soldier jailed to 20 years on appeal

• Summer fitness blitz ends in injury for Brits

• Five Japanese dead in possible group suicide

• Police probe if Indian cancer patient was raped

MORE >>

Last updated:Wed Apr 18 11:05:04 2007