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Two teenagers died on Tuesday after a makeshift gold mine they were digging in collapsed and buried them alive.
BBC News reports that the victims have been identified as 16-year-old Mohamed Bangura and 17-year-old Yayah Jenneh, both from Nyimbadu village in Kono District, Sierra Leone’s Eastern Province.
The young men had left home to dig for gold in an unregulated, artisanal pit in hopes of earning extra income for their families.
According to community members, the unsupported pit, which was about four meters deep, caved in on the boys. An excavator was later called to clear the debris, but they were found dead.
Yayah Jenneh’s mother, Namina Jenneh, a widow, said her son had been helping to support her and his five siblings. “He didn’t tell me he was going to that site—if I had known I would have stopped him,” she said while mourning with a cracked phone displaying his photo.
This incident marks the third fatal mining accident in the region in the last four years, claiming the lives of at least five children.
Local child protection activist Sahr Ansumana says poverty is driving children into dangerous mining work. “If you ask some parents, they’ll tell you there’s no other alternative. They are poor, they are widows… They themselves encourage the kids to go and mine,” he explained.
Despite the tragedy, mining activities resumed in the area a day after the funerals, with several children and even teachers seen working at various sites.
Seventeen-year-old Komba Sesay, who mines to save money for his school exams, admitted the work is risky. “I want to return to school. I’m not happy here,” he said.
When contacted, Information Minister Chernor Bah said the government is investing heavily in education but acknowledged the challenges families face. “We spend about 8.9% of our GDP… on education,” he stated.
Community members, however, are pleading for more direct intervention. Activist Sahr Ansumana appealed: “We need help. Not prayers. Not promises. Help.”
