The brother of one of the miners who died after a mining pit collapsed at Asaman Tamfoe in the Eastern Region has shared the painful moment he discovered that his younger brother was among those trapped.

In a video shared by Channel One TV on August 31, 2026, Ernest Opoku said his brother, Kwaku Opoku, had never been involved in mining at the site and usually avoided such work.

7 feared dead as galamsey pit collapses at Asaman Tamfoe

He said he was shocked when he heard that Kwaku was among the miners trapped after the collapse.

“My brother is called Kwaku. He has never engaged in the mining job before since it came to Asaman Tamfoe, so when I heard the news that my brother was part of those trapped, I was shocked because when they come to call him to partake in the job, he would not go,” he said.

Ernest said he joined the rescue operation and helped bring out some of the trapped miners; however, his strength failed him when his brother’s lifeless body was eventually brought out of the collapsed mine.

“He has always been at home and avoided this kind of mining job. I came here to help with the rescue, and I was able to rescue about the first four people. When I saw them bring out my brother from the collapsed mine, I became weak and sad and couldn’t get close to him because he was dead,” he shared.

According to Ernest, his brother was about 20 years old and full of life before his untimely demise.

He added that the family had reported the matter to the police and was informed that the body would be taken to the morgue.

“My brother was a young boy aged around 20 years. We went to the police station yesterday, and the family was told they will take him to the morgue. We will go there after the traditional authorities complete all the necessary activities to secure the release of his body,” he said.

Explaining how the miners ended up at the site despite it having been evacuated, Ernest said the mining site had been closed for some time and the pits covered, but some young people returned after hearing that gold had been found there.

“This site had been long evacuated, and they did not allow trespassers on the site. So they had evacuated from here and covered the pits, but some of the youths here decided to come and mine on it because on the previous day, some people had come to mine and gotten some gold,” he disclosed.

He believes the miners who died may have been encouraged to return after hearing about the gold found at the site the previous day.

“I’m sure those that were trapped also heard the news and came here at night to mine. There were about 10 that were mining. When the mine collapse happened, 3 survived, and 7 died. If the company owners were here, they wouldn’t have allowed anyone to get access to the mines,” he added.

It will be recalled that the incident led to the death of seven miners, which occurred on Sunday, August 30, while the victims were reportedly working in the pit in search of gold.

11 trapped as mining pit collapses at Asaman Tamfoe; 7 dead, 4 missing

According to reports, 11 miners were initially at the site, but four left before the collapse, leaving seven who were trapped and later found dead.

The collapse reportedly occurred at about 11:00 p.m. while the miners were operating inside the pit.



MAG/BAI

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