A devastating incident occurred in the Amenfi West Municipality on Saturday afternoon, claiming the lives of a 42-year-old woman and her three sons at Wassa Dunkwa.
The family drowned in a pit left behind by illegal miners, which had become filled with water.
According to an eyewitness, the family was in the area to collect dried cocoa trees for firewood, a common practice among locals.
After gathering the wood and stacking it by the roadside, the children entered the abandoned galamsey pit to swim. The situation turned critical when the boys got into difficulty in the water.
Upon seeing her children drowning, the mother jumped in to rescue them. Tragically, she was also overwhelmed by the water, and all four perished.
Their bodies have been deposited at the Catholic Hospital morgue in Asankragwa.
The Assembly Member for Wassa Dunkwa, Paul Kata, has confirmed the incident, and the police at Asankrangwa have launched an investigation.
This heartbreaking event has reignited discussions regarding the severe safety hazards posed by numerous abandoned galamsey pits scattered across communities in the Western Region.
