Story: News Desk

Four illegal miners have died in a devastating mining pit collapse incident at Bepotenten Sukuum, a farming community in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti region. 

A mining pit caved in on a group of illegal miners at Bepotenten Sukuum at approximately 16:00 hours on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. 

The four miners working at the site died on the spot. 

Three of the deceased persons have been identified as Nartey Solomon (30), Ezekiel (22), Awudu (27), and Yaro (26), all of whom were residents of Bepotenten Sukuum. 

Police from Jacobu received information of the tragedy at about 17:30 following a call by the assemblyman of the area, Samuel Ekwam Ananse, and immediately proceeded to the scene. 

Preliminary police investigations revealed the victims, along with one survivor, were engaging in the mining activities at an abandoned mine site when the pit unexpectedly caved in. 

Portions of that land is being reclaimed by a private firm. 

Accompanied by community members, the police officers discovered the bodies of four adult males, who had been recovered from the debris by local residents. 

Inspection of the bodies by police revealed severe injuries. While Ezekiel suffered catastrophic injuries, including a severed right foot and evisceration, the other three victims sustained various degrees of head injuries due to the cave-in. 

The police crime-scene team inspected the site and conveyed the bodies to the St. Peter’s Catholic Hospital Mortuary in Jacobu, where they are being preserved pending autopsies.