Eight people died in a “galamsey” pit which caved in on Sunday, at the Banta-Kontan community in the Bole District of the Northern Region.
As a result of the disaster, the Northern Regional Security Council has ordered the closure of all illegal pits in the area.
The bodies of the deceased aged between 18 and 26 years, have been deposited at the Bole Government Hospital mortuary.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Muniru, who announced this yesterday, said a rescue team was searching for more bodies trapped in the pit which has been cordoned off.
Alhaji Muniru was briefing the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Mahama Ayariga, who is in the region for a two-day working visit.
He said a number of people continue to lose their lives every week in “galamsey” pits in the Banta-Kontan area, hence the need for their closure.
Alhaji Muniru said, however, that the “galamseyers” always find their way to the pits at about midnight.
He therefore, appealed to the minister to team up with the security council to find a lasting solution to the problem.
“We cannot allow the young guys to be dying like fowls in the “galamsey” pits, we ought to stop them,” he stressed.
Mr. Ayariga vowed to marshal forces to halt the “galamsey” activities in the area.
“This is so sad and we need to work together to stop the “galamsey” activities from killing future leaders,” he said.
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