By: Akua Oteng Amponsah
Two journalists have sustained injuries after a vehicle in a convoy of Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) officials crashed near Afari, close to Obuasi, during an anti-illegal mining operation in the Ashanti Region.
The incident happened on Friday while the EPA team, accompanied by security officers and members of the media, was carrying out an operation targeting illegal mining sites within the Obuasi enclave.
According to eyewitnesses, the team came under attack from a group of angry miners at Dadwene, a nearby community. The confrontation forced both officials and journalists to retreat for safety.
The situation reportedly worsened as the convoy attempted to leave the area, leading to one of the vehicles veering off the road at Afari. Several people were injured, with two journalists said to be in critical condition.
Among those involved in the accident was Ibrahim Abubakar, Media General’s Ashanti Regional Correspondent, who escaped with minor injuries. Another journalist from Adom News, whose name has not yet been released, was also part of the affected team.
A source close to the EPA operation disclosed that the attack and subsequent crash left many team members shaken.
“It was a frightening scene. The officers and journalists were under real threat before the accident happened,” the source recounted.
The anti-galamsey exercise is part of the EPA’s renewed campaign to curb illegal mining, which continues to degrade water bodies and farmlands across the Ashanti Region and other parts of the country.
