By: Problyn J. Alpha
Growing concerns over unsafe and abandoned mining sites have intensified following the tragic drowning of two 14-year-old relatives, Abu Marrah and Aminata Momoh, in Koidu City, Kono District.
The incident occurred on Saturday, 2 May 2026, at Fire Force Community, Country Tree Waterside, where the teenagers reportedly drowned in an unprotected mining pit one of many left uncovered in the area.
According to their mothers, Nenneh Sesay and Mbalu Mansaray, the children had been left at home attending to household chores before later going to a nearby stream to wash clothes. Upon their return, the mothers could not find them, only to later receive the heartbreaking news of their deaths.
“We left Aminata cooking and Abu playing with his friends. We never imagined such a tragedy would happen,” the grieving mothers recounted.
An eyewitness, Albass Conteh, who was among the group present, explained that after completing their laundry, the children were persuaded by a boy identified as Kai Kai to swim in a nearby mining pit.
Despite initially stating that he could not swim, Abu eventually joined the group. Conteh said the children attempted to float using a makeshift rubber structure, which collapsed. While four of them managed to escape, Abu and Aminata drowned due to the absence of immediate rescue support.
“It was never our intention to swim. We had finished washing and wanted to return home, but we were convinced to enter the water. Now we have lost our friends,” Conteh said.
He further revealed that it was their second time visiting the stream without parental knowledge and warned other young people against venturing into such dangerous areas.
Both victims, born in 2012, were described as close family members who shared a strong bond and promising futures. Abu Marrah was preparing to sit this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), while Aminata Momoh was a junior secondary school pupil at Abdulai Ibun Abass Junior Secondary School in Koidu City.
They were laid to rest on Sunday, 3 May 2026.
The tragedy has sparked public outrage and renewed calls for accountability, with residents blaming regulatory lapses for the proliferation of hazardous abandoned mining pits across communities.
Citizens are urging the Government of Sierra Leone to enforce stricter mining regulations, particularly the compulsory backfilling of excavated pits after use. They are also calling on key institutions, including the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone and the National Minerals Agency, to strengthen monitoring and enforcement efforts.
Community members have described such recurring incidents as avoidable, stressing the urgent need for decisive action to safeguard lives especially those of children living in mining communities.