Eight Feared Dead In Volta Lake Disaster
Eight pupils from the Atikagome Community in the Sene East District of the Bono East region have perished after the boat they were travelling in capsized on the Volta Lake on their way to school.
According to reports, the eight were among 20 pupils travelling from Atikagome to Wayokope when the incident occurred midway into the journey.
The Sene East Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Ibrahim Wudonyim, who confirmed the incident, said the information about the tragedy came to them late.
He said the incident happened in a small fishing community where the only school in the area is located.
The bodies have been deposited at a private morgue as investigations continue.
Drowning incidents are common in Ghana, especially in the southern regions.
Some drowning incidents
On April 14, 2022, seven people died after their boat capsized from Jemeni to Havekokpe on the Volta Lake on Thursday, April 14 2022.
According to reports, the incident occurred at Todzie at about 6 pm after heavy winds caused the boat to overturn as the passengers struggled to swim to safety.
Five females and two male adults drowned halfway into the journey after encountering a storm.
In October 2022, four other young people died when their boat capsized on the River Offin in the Ashanti Region.
Their bodies were pulled from the river after nearly three days of searching for those missing.
In March 2021, about 13 teenagers drowned at the Apam Beach in the Central Region.
According to a police report, while the children were swimming, a high tide swallowed them up.
The timely intervention of a Good Samaritan saved the lives of two of them as they were rescued and sent to the St. Luke Hospital to be attended to.
But the rest could not make it.
The yearly ritual of drownings
Hundreds of deaths are recorded yearly due to drowning.
According to WHO data published in 2018, drowning deaths in Ghana reached 1,206 or 0.60% of total deaths.
The researchers used data from January 2012 to December 2018.