Two brothers have reportedly drowned in an abandoned quarry pit at Live Donorkope in the Akatsi South Municipality after attempting to rescue their younger sibling from the deep water-filled pit.
The deceased were identified as Felix Dogbey, 18, a Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduate, and Christian Dogbey, 25, an employee of a food processing company at Asikuma.
According to the Akatsi South Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Daniel Gidi, the incident occurred on Friday, May 15, at about 4:00 p.m. when the brothers, together with other relatives, visited the abandoned quarry lake for recreation while attending a funeral in the area.
Reports indicate that the tragedy began after their nine-year-old brother, Eric Dogbey, started drowning in the quarry pit. Felix reportedly rushed into the water and managed to rescue the child but became overwhelmed and started drowning.
Christian also entered the water in an attempt to save Felix, but both brothers subsequently drowned.
Mr Gidi disclosed that the abandoned quarry pit is believed to be between 18 and 24 metres deep, making rescue efforts extremely difficult. Initial attempts by local divers on Friday and Saturday were unsuccessful.
Personnel from the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC) at Sogakope Nutekpor were later contacted to assist, but operations had to be suspended on Saturday evening due to poor underwater visibility.
However, the bodies of the two brothers were reportedly seen floating on Sunday morning before the arrival of the Navy rescue team.
Officers from the Akatsi Police Command later retrieved the bodies and conveyed them to the St. Paul’s Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
