Osino SHS student drowns in 'galamsey' pit

A final-year student of the Osino Senior High School in the Atiwa District in the Eastern Region drowned in a mining pit at Osino last Thursday.

Identified as Kelvin Asiedu, 21, the student was said to have left the school without exeat to swim in a galamsey pit behind the school, leading to his death.

According to the Eastern Regional Police Public Relations officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Ebenezer Tetteh, the death of the student was reported to the Anyinam District Police by Ms Sylvia Aboagye, the Headmistress, and Ms Ernestina Quarshie, the Assistant Headmistress of the school about 6:40 p.m. on Thursday, February 22, 2018.

Report

ASP Tetteh said the headmistress and the assistant headmistress of the school reported that they received information that Kelvin "who had gone away without leave (AWOL), had drowned in a mining pit full of water behind the school".

The police then accompanied the complainants to the scene and, with the help of divers, retrieved the body of the deceased from the pit.

After inspecting the body, the police said they suspected no foul play and later deposited the body at the Kibi Government Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.

Galamsey

Galamsey activities continue to have dire consequences on the health and wellbeing of the people of Osino.

Currently, the Eastern Regional office of the Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL) has shut down its Osino Treatment Plant due to severe pollution of the water as a result of illegal mining.