Talensi: Illegal miners fire gunshots at minerals commission officers during underground inspection
Some Minerals Commission Inspectors and Mine Managers of Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited, a Chinese large-scale mining company operating in Gbane in the Upper East Region, have been left traumatized after illegal miners fired gunshots during an underground inspection exercise.
The Minerals Commission Mining Inspectors, Charles Whirhamand Sappor Teye Ibrahim together with underground managers of the company, descended into the underground tunnels of the company’s mining area to conduct regular inspections and an investigation.
The inspection was, however, cut short when the officers unknowingly came face-to-face with a large number of illegal miners who had invaded the underground area and were busily carting away gold ore blasted by the company.
An attempt by the inspection team to caution the illegal miners to vacate the underground mining area resulted in threats from the agitated group, who instead warned the inspection team to get out of the way.
Amidst this engagement, a heavy gunshot was fired from a short distance away, compelling the officers to run for their lives.
“We went underground to check the stope where some illegal miners inhaled smoke last night. On our way, we met various groups of illegal miners. Among them were underaged boys whom we tried to persuade to leave the place. Then one of them asked us to rather leave and, if we thought we were men, we should come further. Suddenly, we heard a heavy sound that was like a gunshot. They were obviously armed. At that point, we had to quickly leave and surface,” Earl’s Mine Manager, FiribuSalia, recounted.
According to him, the mass of illegal miners that have persistently invaded various levels of Shaft 4 is tantamount to a complete takeover of the mine by the illegal miners.
“They [illegal miners] have taken over the mine. They are everywhere in Shaft 4, at almost all the levels, and sometimes when you go underground, it’s as if they are the owners of the place,” he added.
In a related development, 42 illegal miners who were trapped in underground smoke were rescued and arrested by a combined team of rescuers and private security personnel from Earl.
Assistant Public Relations Officer Albert Azongo confirmed that the illegal miners got trapped in a blast fume when they attempted to pilfer blasted gold ore underground shortly after a scheduled blast was conducted by the company.
A timely intervention by the rescue team and security guards to evacuate the trapped illegal miners saved what could have been a fatality.
“This is the incident the Minerals Commission Officers came to investigate underground, among some other routine inspections, only to be met with another unfortunate shooting incident underground,” Azongo said.
The persistent invasion of illegal miners in the underground mining area of the company has become a major operational and safety concern.
