Hundreds of illegal miners have been trapped inside one of the shafts of Ghana’s Obuasi mine, owned by AngloGold Ashanti, since Monday, May 29.
The miners entered the mine through an alternative route in search of gold deposits, but found themselves unable to get out when the entrance was blocked.
One of the trapped miners contacted his family and said they have been inside for four days without food or water, according to TV3’s Williams Evans Nkum.
He said “We went to the AngloGold mine to work, but the place was closed down. For four days now, we are just in there. We don’t have any food or water.
“And they do not want to give us water. We are about 300. We went there on our own. The DCE must come to our aid.
“We don’t have any work, that’s why we go there to mine to take care of ourselves and our families,” he said.
The Obuasi mine is one of the largest gold mines in the world, with a mineral resource of 24.5 million ounces and a production capacity of 250,000 ounces per year. It is located in Ghana’s Ashanti region, about 60km south of Kumasi.
The mine was shut down in 2014 due to operational challenges and illegal mining activities. It resumed operations in 2019 after a redevelopment project by AngloGold Ashanti.
