The Municipal Chief Executive Officer of the Asante-Akyem Central Municipal Assembly, Rev Ebenezer Kow Aidoo, has disclosed that all the ten miners who were trapped after a mining pit collapsed at Konongo have been pulled out from underground.
According to him, all the miners have been sent to the hospital and are receiving medical attention.
“As at 7:45pm this evening, all ten of them have been saved. We have sent them to the hospital and they are receiving medical attention,” Mr Aidoo told Keminni Amanor on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on May 15.
According to him, the miners stayed underground for three days yet when they emerged from the pit, they seemed strong.
“I was concerned about their health, but when they came out, they were jumping and hugging their friends and family. The mining experts told me that they could have been there for about seven days,” he noted.
“They had water with them underground, that helped them to survive, ” the MCE explained.
Earlier, 3news reported that fear and anxiety had gripped residents of Konongo in the Asante-Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region as miners got trapped underground days after a mining pit collapsed at a site belonging to Northern Ashanti Mines.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening when the miners were reportedly working underground before the pit suddenly caved in, blocking their exit route and trapping them beneath heaps of debris.
Rescue operations have since intensified, with emergency responders, security personnel, NADMO officials and fellow miners working around the clock in an attempt to save the victims.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, the Asante-Akyem Central NADMO Director, Lanbon Joseph, disclosed that the trapped miners are believed to still be alive, as rescue teams have been hearing their voices from beneath the collapsed pit.
According to him, the rescue mission has become extremely difficult due to the unstable nature of the ground and the depth of the collapsed section of the mine.
“We can hear their voices underground, and the rescue team is doing everything possible to retrieve them safely,” he told journalists.
The situation has drawn large crowds to the mining site, with family members, residents and sympathizers anxiously waiting for positive news regarding the fate of the trapped miners.
As of the time of filing this report, none of the trapped miners had been rescued, while emergency teams continue efforts to reach them underground.
Authorities are expected to begin investigations into the cause of the collapse after rescue operations are completed.
