7 dead, only 5 rescued alive, many remain trapped underground – Eyewitness in Birim North galamsey disaster

Only five miners out of suspected 30 who were trapped under an illegal mining pit that caved in on Monday at Korley Teye in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region have so far been rescued alive.

Seven of the miners died in the ordeal, with locals frantically trying with all manner of implements to rescue the others.

An eyewitness, Frank Owusu Amoah, who said he and others rushed to the scene upon hearing news of the disaster, told Adom News that the five were rushed to the hospital with injuries but many more remained trapped as darkness set in.

The accident is thought to have occurred at about 10am, while he and others arrived at about midday. As at 5:30pm, no official rescue effort had been established at the scene, with only the miners and other locals doing what they could at rescue efforts.

He alleged that calls to the Police, Fire Service and National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) yielded no immediate results.

Frank Amoah also confirmed Adom News correspondent, Akwasi Dwamena’s earlier report that the illegal miners were ready to harm anyone attempting to take photographs at the scene because they did not want any attention drawn to the disaster.

Earlier on Monday, Akwasi Dwamena reported that the scene of the accident (Takorso site) at Korle Teye, is a busy galamsey site where many of the youth in the surrounding communities troop to each day to dig for gold.

At the time of Dwamena’s visit to the site, only two of the trapped miners had been rescued alive, with the lifeless bodies of the seven laid out in the open and covered with bushes.

While he was prevented from taking any photographs, he was also chased away.