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Ghanaian officials said Monday that an investigation is underway into the alleged killing of a Chinese teenager who was illegally mining for gold along with dozens more people.
The Ghana Immigration Service, however, denied claims that the 16-year-old Chinese girl who was killed last week died in their custody. Chinese state-run media reported that the foreign ministry is following the case of the more than 90 Chinese miners who were detained.
However, there are conflicting reports, including one from Reuters, that says the teenager was actually a boy, not a girl.
Ghana’s foreign minister, Chris Kpodo, confirmed with the news agency that a teenager was killed. “It is regrettable, and the government has ordered an investigation into the incident,” he said.
Francis Palm Deti, a spokesperson for the GIS, told Ghana-based Joy News that six of those who were detained have been released on health grounds.
“We have about 95 Chinese nationals in our custody … it is a detention area, it is not a cell or a prison so we treat them humanely … hopefully they would be processed and a decision taken on them,” Deti said.
According to Ghana Web, mining towns in the West African nation have been inundated with Chinese miners who are there illegally. In some cases, they have even attacked locals.
Earlier this year, residents in the Amansie West region clashed with illegal Chinese miners “who were said to be terrorizing the residents with heavy ammunitions,” the website said.
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