By Ben TC Brooks
A sorrowful and tragic event has taken place in Gbeapo Joequiken, River Gee County, when on 8 July, a 32-year-old man identified as Fred Moses, known locally as “Kolokolo,” tragically died after falling into an abandoned gold-mining pit filled with water.
Gbeapo Joequiken, which is which is renowned for gold-mining activities in River Gee County’s electoral District #2, is situated south of the county, approximately 30 kilometers from the capital, Fish Town.
Moses, who hailed from Maryland County, had been working as a gold digger under the guidance of Mohammed Jalloh, a well-known businessman in the area of perceived Fulani descent.
Family members narrated that Moses had been involved in mining gold for over four years, and that he had developed a strong working relationship with Jalloh.
Moses Youty, a relative who introduced the deceased to the mining field along with Amos T. Sunday, mentioned that Fred had epilepsy but consistently took his prescribed medication prior to his demise.
Jalloh, for his part recalled that Moses was a dedicated and hardworking leader among the miners he supervised, highlighting the strong work ethic of the deceased.
Eyewitnesses at the mining site reported that Moses had gone to clean his body in a place close to the abandoned gold pit when he unfortunately experienced a seizure, leading to his accidental fall into the pit, with no one in sight to come to his rescue before he drowned.
Meanwhile, County Coroner Derrick Keah, along with some officers of the Liberia National Police in the Nyaniwilken administrative district, visited the site where Moses met his untimely death.
The Coroner’s team then set up a 15-member jury to investigate the circumstances surrounding Moses’ death, and. upon the completion of said investigation; the jury concluded that there were no indications of foul play.
