Three miners died from toxic fumes after they escaped from an illegal mine, popularly called galamsey in the country, during a blast at Gnane, in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region.
The deceased, who are in their early 20s, are Yusif Tahiru, Cephas Bazimwomd and Yaw Nambog from Sheiga, Namolgo and Tindongo respectively.
The blast occurred in the incline shaft of the Shanxii Minning Company, a Chinese mining company, providing technical services and support to Yenyenya Mines, another small-scale mine.
The deceased were in a pit belonging to Akwesi Appiah (Akwesi Bantama), which linked closely to a pit underground, belonging to Yenyeya Mines, where the blast took place, resulting in the emission of toxic substances and they were suffocated.
The deceased and other miners, numbering about 15, came out of the pit unhurt but the conditions of the three deteriorated, and the next day they vomited blood and were rushed to the hospital where they passed on.
Mr Thomas Tii Yenzanya, Safety and Mining Engineer of the Shanxii Mining Company, denied that the pit was not linked to the any escape root of the incline shaft that was about 65 meters below the earth surface, adding that the pit had been barricaded to prevent miners from getting into it but other miners still entered it .
He indicated that the company had four main passages to the underground mine, an incline shaft and three vertical shaft, and explained that the incline was about 150 meters to the first level.
Akwesi Bantema told the Ghana News Agency at the scene that he was outside the pit and saw fumes emerging from the pit and close to 15 miners escaped from it.
Upper East Regional Minister, Alhaji Lumuna Mohammed Muniru, visited the homes of the deceased and sympathize with the bereaved families.
He cautioned mining companies to provide good health and safety measures for their workers and members of the mining communities.
Alhaji Muniru said he would ensure that any dispute between small-scale miners and the Chinese mining company was resolved.
Yusif Tahiru has since been buried after a post mortem was carried on him, and autopsy was being conducted on the two other bodies to ascertain the cause of death.
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