Woman and Child Die in Abandoned Mine Pit; Bosome Freho Assembly Orders Owner's Arrest

A woman and her young child are dead after falling into an abandoned mining pit in the Bosome Freho District of the Ashanti Region. The woman had gone to fetch water for cooking, with her child strapped to her back, when she slipped into the water-filled pit. It happened at Bobriase.

District Chief Executive Charles Appiah Kubi says the pit was left open after illegal mining operations. The owner never reclaimed the land. Now the assembly has ordered his arrest. “The case has been reported to the police command, of which the one who did that is now trying to avoid arrest,” Kubi told reporters.

Bosome Freho is one of the poorest districts in Ashanti. Its farmlands are riddled with hundreds of uncovered pits, many filled with rainwater. They've become death traps. Kubi says at least two or three people have died in these pits since he became DCE about a year ago.

The assembly is now taking an inventory of all abandoned pits. The NADMO director has been instructed to visit each site and identify the miners responsible. “We've instructed my NADMO Director in the district to go round to the various sites, for the abandoned pits, for us to identify those people who mined that place, for them to be traced, and if possible, arrest, and maybe take them to court,” Kubi said.

“When I look at Bosome Freho, it's been almost a year since I've been District Chief Executive. And I came across so many abandoned pits in Bosome Freho. And some people have lost their lives.”

Bosome Freho has signed up for a reclamation programme run by the Lands Ministry, National Security, and the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council. Under that scheme, small-scale miners have voluntarily agreed to reclaim all mined-out lands at no cost to the assembly. But the programme hasn't stopped deaths like this one.

The assembly is tracing the pit owner for arrest and prosecution. The inventory of all abandoned pits will be used to hold owners accountable. Kubi hopes the arrests will serve as a deterrent to other miners who leave their pits open.