On the 29th of November 2021, Hon Isaac Dasmani (Ph.D.), the Municipal Chief Executive for Prestea – Huni Valley Municipal Assembly paid a courtesy visit to the accident victims at the Atross site near Wassa Essikuma. An illegal mining pit collapsed on some people while they were working in the open pit.
Speaking to the chiefs and the entire community, Hon Isaac Dasmani (Ph.D.) urged the community to present proper documentation for the land to the mineral commission to be lobbied for community mining. He added that if the site was in the hands of community mining, proper percussions would have been put in place to avert such incidents. For the bodies, they will work on it to be released for proper burial.
He assured the community that proper measures would be put in place to avert such occurrences soon.
He made mention that, per investigation, people who survived the incident and were injured have gone into hiding thinking they will be arrested. He assured them that they can come out of hiding for they will not be arrested because they need them to give out information about the actual number of victims who were in the pit.
Chief Inspector Joseph Bossman Amoako the chief inspector in charge of the area indicated that ten (10) people were rescued from the pit with an excavator but only one out of the ten survived.
On her part, Mrs. Barbara Oteng Gyasi the former MP for Prestea Huni Valley Municipal and the chairperson for minerals commission said that this incident is very painful and she grieved with the affected victims. She expressed her condolences to the families of the victims and the entire Wassa Essikuma land that God will see them through their hard times. She added that community mining was brought to reduce such incidents. She then said that the government has imported new machines to help in the activities of the community mining with an expert in mining. She pleaded with the town folks to use the right procedures to acquire proper documentation before they can start any mining activity in the area.
She promised to share with the people of Prestea Huni-valley municipal an operational manual on community mining to help them have fair insight about the program and to also help reduce such occurrences.
On addressing the community, the queen mother of Essikuma Obaapanyin Pokua pleaded with Hon. MCE to help them so that they can release the body to them for burial in time.