Dozens of miners, many believed to be illegal small-scale operators, are feared dead after unidentified smoke filled sections of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine in the Western Region, according to local sources.
The victims are suspected to have suffocated deep underground after smoke believed to have been triggered by an underground blast caused carbon gases to spread through the tunnels. The incident reportedly occurred on levels 8 and 9 of the mine, now under the management of Heath Goldfields.
The exact death toll remains uncertain. Some sources estimate as many as 30 people may have died, while others put the figure at 11 bodies said to have been retrieved earlier. By 7 p.m. Tuesday, three additional bodies had been recovered from level 9 and brought to the surface, separate from earlier recoveries.
Officials have not yet issued a public statement, and rescue and recovery operations continued late into the night. The incident has been reported to the Prestea Police, who are leading the investigation.
Heath Goldfields recently assumed operational control of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine, a takeover that remains the subject of a legal dispute with previous leaseholder Blue Gold.
Authorities have not confirmed whether additional miners remain trapped underground.