3 dead, 12 rescued at Gomoa Nyanyano sea

Three school children have died while 12 others have been rescued after they drowned in the sea at Gomoa Nyanyano in the Central Region while swimming.

The incident happened on Sunday, December 24, 2023.

Information gathered indicates that the children are residents of Kasoa who went to Gomoa Nyanyano to swim but unfortunately drowned.

Sources say that after several hours of search, two of the dead bodies, aged between 10 and 15 years, were found, while the remaining one is still missing.

Meanwhile, the case has been reported to the police, while the retrieved bodies have been deposited at the mortuary.

Drowning cases involving students in communities along water bodies have increased in recent months.

On June 26, two children reportedly drowned in the Akora River in the Agona West Municipality of the Central Region.

On Saturday, June 24, three students of the Daboase Senior High Technical School in the Western Region drowned in the Subri River.

The victims, all first-year students, had sneaked out of their dormitory to swim in the Subri River, which had overflown its banks due to the heavy rains.

In another incident, nine schoolchildren drowned after the boat they were travelling on capsized on the estuary at Wiaboman on May 13, 2023.

Drowning is a critical global public health concern that often leads to tragic loss of life, especially among vulnerable communities.

According to WHO, globally, drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death. It is responsible for about 7% of all deaths due to injuries.

Annually, about 240,000 people die due to drowning.

In 2018 alone, drowning deaths in Ghana reached 1,206 or 0.60% of total deaths.

Researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) revealed that a total of 1,449 drowning cases were recorded in the last three years.

The growing number of deaths related to river drowning is not merely a statistical figure; it is a haunting tale of shattered families, grieving communities, and the persistent question of what more can be done to prevent such tragedies.