Toddler feared drowned in Kumasi flood

A toddler is feared to have drowned at Sawaba near the Affordable Housing Estate in Kumasi after a downpour, Wednesday, June 23 evening.

The child was travelling with their mother on a tricycle popularly known as ‘pragya’ when they were stuck in floodwaters. They then got down from the vehicle to continue on foot.

A heavy downpour caused the flood on the day of the accident, which affected many parts of Kumasi.

Speaking to news media after the incident, the driver of the tricycle, Ahmed Mohammed, said the mother of the child, while trying to continue the journey on foot together with the other passengers, had the child swept away by the flood.

He explained that his tricycle was stuck in the flood with five people on board, including the child.

“I pulled the hand brake to stop the tricycle from moving. The passengers kept shouting in fear. They all got down immediately the tricycle stopped. That was when I saw them fall into the floodwater,” he explained.

He went further to explain in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Joy FM on Thursday, June 24, that it took some men to help them out, but the child was not found.

The report said that, despite the incident, many either by foot or by vehicles, made efforts to cross the flooded area on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, it is being reported that the bridge over River Wewe, which links Sawaba with the rest of the Kumasi metropolis, is partly caved in, leading to perennial floods in the community.

This, according to residents, has become a death trap, especially in the rainy season.

They have therefore called on the authorities to reconstruct the bride to avert further disaster.