Galamsey Pit Swallows Man

A NORMAL afternoon swimming parade by some young men at Pompomso, a farming community in the Obuasi Municipality in the Ashanti region, suddenly turned disastrous after a 23-year-old native got drowned in an abandoned mining pit.

Yaw Benyande, unemployed, did not surface again after he dived into the big mining pit, which was filled with water.

Yaw was, reportedly, going to the farm to assist his father when the unfortunate incident happened. Reports say he saw some of his friends swimming in the abandoned mining pit around 1 pm on Saturday and reportedly bragged that he was a perfect swimmer and was ready to prove his swimming prowess for them to see.

He quickly undressed and jumped deep into the deep pit but that was the last time he was seen alive. And when after several minutes he did not surface again, the people at the scene, who feared for the worse, raised an alarm.

Hon. Godfred Osei, the Assemblyman for the area, said the matter was reported to the police after which the traditional leaders were also informed.

He said, in line with tradition during such calamities, the chiefs poured libation on the banks of the pit to pacify the gods in the community.

The Assemblyman said some expert swimmers were then engaged and they managed to retrieve the body after seven hours of search under the water.

By: Afia Sarpong Amankwa/ thePublisher