Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung has pleaded with residents, particularly youths of Chio Town, RivercessCounty, to desist from illicit mining on the site that witnessed the death of 11 people in a recent mudslide.
Rivercess County authorities have since reported that,despite the tragedy, there are still some youths who are defiant and bypassing to go to the site, which is considered as a death trap.
But speaking following a site tour of the mining site on Wednesday, April 3, 2014, VP Koung dismissed what he called a myth that there will be more gold deposits at thesite because of blood sacrifice relative to the mudslide that killed several residents.
“It’s a lie to believe that because of the death of these people the mouth of the gold in the mine in question has opened,” the VP told the bereaved families in Chio Town, while warning them to stay clear of the pit created by the illicit mining.
The Vice President, who was asked by His Excellency President Joseph N. Boakia Sr. to reach out to the family members of the recent mudslide on behalf of the government, emphasized that rather than risking their lives engaging in illicit mining the young people in Rivercess should engage in meaningful agricultural activities to sustain themselves.
VP Koung then expressed the government’s condolences to the families and presented separate funds, rice and mattresses as the President’s way of consoling the victims.
The amount of L$200,000 and 10 bags of 25kg rice each were presented to the families of four of the survivors currently seeking medical attention, while the families of those who died in the tragedy received L$100,000, 10 bags of 25kg rice and one mattress each as an initial contribution from the government through the VicePresident.
VP Koung was accompanied to the Chio Town mining site by several government officials, including National Security Advisor, Cllr. Samuel Kofi Woods, the RivercessCounty Legislative Caucus, chaired by Willington Geevon-Smith, and officials of the National Disaster Management Agency.
Speaking earlier, Senator Geevon-Smith lauded the initiative by the government to identify with the situation in the county, particularly the victims of the recent calamity, but said he wants the government to do more in creating job opportunities in the county. He attributed the increasing wave of illicit mining in the county among young people to the lack of job opportunities. The Rivercess County Senator said the county is without a single concession company.
Also speaking, the Paramount Chief of Chio Town, John Sowee, who took the Vice President on a tour of the mining site, expressed gratitude to the government for identifying with them in this period of bereavement.
Liberians on March 26, 2024 woke up to the news that 10 residents of Chio Town had died and others on critical list in a mudslide. They were reportedly engaged in illicit mining at a mining site operated by Devaco Mining.