Three children have drowned in abandoned illegal mining pits within a week in the Denkyembuor and Fanteakwa South Districts of the Eastern Region, highlighting the growing dangers of unregulated mining activities.

The first incident occurred on March 6th at Boadua, near Akwatia, where a 14-year-old boy lost his life after falling into a mining pit close to his home. The uncovered pit, abandoned by illegal miners, became a deadly trap, and his body was later retrieved.

A similar tragedy followed the next day at Akyem Abompe in the Fanteakwa South District. Two siblings, part of a group of four children, were swimming in a river that had been redirected due to illegal mining activities.

Unaware that the river flowed into a deep mining pit, they became trapped and drowned, while the other two managed to escape.

Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey visited the bereaved family in Boadua to express her condolences. She emphasized the severe risks posed by illegal mining, noting that the issue extends beyond environmental destruction to a direct threat to human lives. She also reaffirmed the John Mahama-led government’s commitment to addressing the menace.

The deaths have sparked widespread concern, with calls for urgent government intervention to curb illegal mining and reclaim abandoned pits before more lives are lost.

With the rainy season approaching, residents worry that failure to act swiftly could result in more tragic drownings in these hazardous mining sites.