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The bereaved families of nine local miners who lost their lives during a violent confrontation with military officers at the Anglogold Obuasi Gold Mine have gathered at the Obuasi Government Hospital to claim the bodies of their loved ones.
Hospital authorities are finalizing autopsy reports before releasing the bodies to the police, who will then hand them over to the families for burial rites. Officials confirmed that nine miners were killed, while eight others sustained injuries and were transferred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
The tragic incident occurred late on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at approximately 11:00 PM when around 60 illegal miners breached the security fence to access the Deep Decline area of the mine. Armed with locally manufactured rifles, pump-action guns, knives, axes, and gas cylinders, the miners reportedly opened fire on the military personnel stationed at the mine.
In what the military described as self-defense, the soldiers returned fire, resulting in the fatalities. Some illegal miners fled the scene, leaving behind six pump-action BB cartridges retrieved by the soldiers. One soldier was injured by pellets from a pump-action gun but has since received treatment.
The aftermath of the incident has led to heightened security, with a significant military presence at all entry and exit points of the mine. Public and private schools in Obuasi remain closed as the Ghana Education Service closely monitors the security situation.
