Two people have reportedly drowned in a dam at Tubong in the Tempane District in the Upper East Region.
Information gathered indicated that an 11-year-old boy drowned in the dam around 2 p.m.
Upon hearing the news, the father of the boy, who was having a conversation with his 30-year-old friend, identified as Pakinyedu, rushed to the scene.
Upon reaching the bank of the dam, Pakinyedu, who did not know how to swim, out of desperation and anxiety, jumped into the dam to rescue the boy, but he also drowned in the process.
The tragic incident attracted hundreds of residents to the scene, some of whom wept uncontrollably after a combined team of rescuers in the community managed to retrieve the lifeless bodies of the two individuals from the dam.
After the necessary traditional rites were performed, the two were buried the same day, around 7 p.m.
The dam was constructed by World Vision Ghana (WVG), a non-governmental organisation, a few years ago, to provide all-year-round water to assist farmers in cultivating vegetables such as onions, okra and carrots, among others.
The Assembly member for the Tubong-Konkomada Electoral Area, Simon Moyom Laar, said so far, they had not been able to establish what the little boy went to do at the dam, which led to his death.
He noted that since the dam was constructed, no resident had drowned in it, saying, “It is shocking and sad that two people had drowned in the water”.
He urged parents not to allow their children to get close to the dam to prevent a recurrence of the incident.