This article needs to beupdated.(January 2011) |
On November 12, 2009, a collapse occurred in anillegal,privately ownedgold mineinDompoase,Ashanti Region,Ghana.Up to 30 miners were prospecting the mine when it collapsed because of a landslide. At least 18 workers were killed in the collapse, including 14 women and the owner of the mine. Officials have described the disaster as the worst mine collapse in Ghanaian history.[1]
Police in the Ghanaian capital ofAccrahave launched an investigation, and are looking into the possibility of criminalnegligence.The police commander in theWestern Regionof Ghana, Kojo Antwi Tabi, called the disaster "the biggest miningtragedythat has ever hit Ghana ". He also stated that he believed the government should take more measures to control the activities conducted in the mines.[2]Safety measures in the mine were described as "poor or nonexistent".[1][2][3][4]
The mine owner hadcontracted6 men and 24 women to work the mine. The men performed theminingand digging, while the women carried out the soil for sorting.[1][4]A 27-year-old survivor in ahospitalclaimed that she was the last person out of the mine and stated that everyone would have escaped were it not for a large tree that fell during the landslide.[4]
Police are searching for additional victims trapped in the mine. Because of the possibility of another collapse, rescue efforts remain extremely dangerous. It has been difficult to identify the bodies of the dead as well, as most of the miners were not from Ghana.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abc"Women die in Ghana mine collapse".BBC.2009-11-12.Retrieved2009-11-12.
- ^ab"18 killed in Ghana mine collapse".RTÉ News.2009-11-12.Retrieved2009-11-12.
- ^"Ghana illegal mine collapse kills 15; 13 women".Associated Press.2009-11-12.Retrieved2009-11-12.[dead link]
- ^abcd"Galamsey Horror • 14 Women Among Retrieved Bodies".Daily Graphic.2009-11-12.Retrieved2009-11-12.