Two people have died after a galamsey pit collapsed on them at Sefwi Datano in the Bodi District of the Western North Region.
The deceased, identified as Kwaku Charles and Nana Dibi, are believed to be in their early thirties. They were reportedly digging for gold at a site where they regularly worked when the pit collapsed.
According to reports, the two were working with a third person who is currently unaccounted for when the incident occurred.
Residents and community members rushed to the site to assist in the rescue effort.
An excavator was brought in to help retrieve the trapped miners, but the operation reportedly resulted in the head of one of the victims being severed before the bodies were recovered.
Confirming the incident to Adom News, Datano Unit Committee member Joseph Debrah said he received a distress call that two people had been trapped in a galamsey pit.
He said he alerted community leaders, who mobilised some of the youth to the site to support the rescue operation. The police in Bodi were also informed and joined the effort to retrieve the bodies.
The remains were subsequently transported to the Juaboso Government Hospital mortuary for preservation, while further investigations are expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The tragedy has cast a pall of grief over the Sefwi Datano community and renewed concerns about the dangers associated with illegal small-scale mining.