BY Issah Olegor
Authorities have confirmed that nine people lost their lives in a tragic illegal mining pit collapse at Atta Ne Atta, a community in the Asutifi South District of the Ahafo Region.
The incident, which occurred on the night of February 28, 2026, initially had reports indicating ten fatalities, but hospital officials later clarified that one body counted earlier was unrelated to the cave-in.
Four miners sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at the St. Elizabeth Catholic Hospital in Hwidiem. Hospital staff have reported that the patients are responding positively to treatment.
Rescue operations are ongoing, and authorities are still assessing the full extent of the collapse, as an undisclosed number of miners may have been at the site when it occurred.
Atta Ne Atta, located within the constituency of Collins Dauda, has previously come under scrutiny due to confrontations involving the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS).
Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the pit collapse and urge local communities to exercise caution around risk to life and property, abandoned or active illegal mining sites, which remain a major risk to life and property.
