At least one person is has been shot dead after an altercation between workers at the Asanko Gold Mine and youth from the Amansie South District in the Ashanti Region.
According to a news report by UTV, the person shot was one of the youth of Amansie South, and this resulted in further clashes between the miners and the youth.
The District Chief Executive of Amansie South, Clement Opoku Gyamfi, who confirmed the incident in an interview with UTV that was monitored by GhanaWeb, said that the youth who was shot had been taken to the hospital.
“Some of the youth enter one of the pits of Asanko Gold to mine in order to find something to eat. And they were confronted by the security of the mining company, which led to a clash and some gunshots being fired.
“One of the youths was hit by a gunshot, and he is now in the hospital getting treatment. The news of one of the youth being shot resulted in reprisal attacks, which led to one of the trucks of Asoka Gold being completely burned, and other vehicles and facilities of the company being damaged,” he said in the Twi dialect.
Opoku Gyamfi called on the youth to remain calm as the incident is being investigated.
The General-Manager of Asanko Mines, Ahmed Muhadeeni Yahaya, also said the youth who entered the mining pit were illegal miners.
He added that the policemen protecting the pit only opened fire on them because they (the youth) started attacking them with cutlasses.
