A 42-year-old woman and her three sons have tragically drowned in an abandoned illegal mining pit at Wassa Dunkwa in the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region.
An eyewitness told Joy News that residents in the area often visit the location to collect dried cocoa trees for firewood.
According to eyewitnesses, after the mother and her three children finished gathering firewood and placed it by the roadside, the children decided to swim in a nearby pit left behind by illegal miners (galamsey operators). The children began to drown in the pit which had filled with water.
As soon as the mother noticed her children in distress, she rushed in to rescue them. However, she was unable to save them and also drowned in the process.
The bodies were recovered and deposited at the morgue of the Catholic Hospital in Asankragwa.
The tragic incident occurred on Saturday afternoon, 28 February, when the family reportedly went to fetch firewood near a galamsey site.
Assembly Member for Wassa Dunkwa, Paul Kata, confirmed the incident to Joy News.
Police at Asankrangwa have commenced investigations into the incident.