Three die in Twifo Mampong galamsey pit collapse

Three young men have lost their lives after an illegal mining pit caved in at Twifo Mampong in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District of the Central Region.

The victims were part of a group of five who reportedly sneaked into the pit to mine under the cover of darkness. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. on Thursday, September 25, 2025.

While one person managed to escape and raise an alarm, rescuers spent several hours retrieving three bodies, with efforts still underway to locate a fourth.

Rescue operations were led by the Twifo Praso District Police Command with support from the District Chief Executive, Isaac Yawson, personnel from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), and the Ghana National Fire Service.

The tragedy has once again highlighted the dangers of illegal mining, locally known as galamsey, which has claimed numerous lives across Ghana.

Galamsey pits are typically created when miners dig deep shafts into the ground without technical expertise or safety precautions, leaving the soil weak and prone to collapse.

Many of these pits are abandoned after minerals are exhausted, yet remain open and unstable.

Heavy rains or the vibrations of pumps used to drain water often worsen their fragility, turning them into death traps for those who attempt to work inside.

Beyond the immediate danger to lives, such pits scar farmlands, pollute rivers with mercury and other chemicals, and render vast tracts of land unusable for agriculture.

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Despite intensified government efforts and military operations to clamp down on galamsey, desperate youth in mining areas continue to risk entering these pits in search of quick income.

This comes as the government is set to announce renewed efforts to address the illegal mining menace that has ravaged water bodies and vegetation across the length and breadth of the country.