A mass burial service was on Friday, July 7, 2017, held for the twenty-two (22) illegal miners who were trapped in a galamsey pit at Nsuta in the Prestea Huni-Valley District of the Western Region.
The decision to perform the mass burial service for the 22 death persons, according to information available to Today, was taken after the relatives of the victims came to confirm and signed against their names. This came to light after the search and rescue team indicated that their bodies could not be retrieved.
The unfortunate incident, which occurred at about 3:00 a.m., on Sunday, July 2, 2017, has since left many residents of the area wondering what might have been the cause(s). The reason of the collapsing of the mining pit is not instantly known.
The rest are Evans Asabi, 27, Richard Kwabena, 25, Michael Kwabena, 26, Elliasu Alale,19, Ardul, Rahman, 21, Inusah Seidu, 21, Adams Abore, 23, Ibrahim Madhed, 20, Halidu Salifu,33, and Abekah Kwaku, 25. All the victims hailed from Upper West, Upper East, Ashanti, Eastern, Brong Ahafo and Western Regions, according to records from the Prestea Huni-Valley District Assembly.
Today, which has been following the case ever since the incident happened, can report that the whole community of Prestea-Nsuta became mourning town as the final ceremony was performed for the deceased. Some of the family members and friends of the victims, who could not take back their tears narrated that the death of their beloved ones was very sad and untimely.
President of Prestea Communicators for Development (PCD), Mr. Comrade Francis Eshun, who is linked to the victims, told Today that there will not be any funeral service because of the nature of the death. “This matter is really bigger than us,” he lamented. “They are our friends and we alI know them very well and we must say that we are very disappointed.”, some miners in Nsuta sadly said.
For his part, Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Benito Owusu Bio, who was at the mass burial ground, noted that the site had been closed down after religious rituals were performed for the victims. “We have now decided to close the pit with the help of Golden Star Resources Limited who have provided equipment for that.
A Catholic mass was held for the dead. Islamic and traditional prayers were also offered. All the customary rites have been performed and we assume they are all dead and we are sealing up the pit. “We are piling rocks and debris into it to the extent that nobody can reach that part again,” Mr. Owusu Bio noted. The miners got trapped in the mining pit after being trapped on Sunday following a heavy downpour. The disaster comes at a time when the government was fighting against illegal mining across the country.
Mr. Owusu Bio was hopeful that this incident would bring an end to the galamsey menace. Touching on illegal mining activities at Prestea-Nsuta, the Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister said: “this particular type of galamsey is very difficult to locate so we are appealing to the general public, especially the people of Prestea and its environs, to help us by actually locating where they are so that we can ask the military to flush them out.”
At the moment, the Prestea District Police Command, Today gathered, are going to watch and protect the place until the site is covered The Prestea District Police Command has, however, launched investigations into the incident.
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