GhanaPoliticsOnline.Com
Rescue operation by National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has resulted in the retrieval of more dead bodies from the Weija dam after a boat carrying mostly pupils capsized around Faana in the Weija Gbawe municipality in Accra on Wednesday, May 10.
Bodies of 9 pupils returning from school retrieved from Weija dam after boat capsize
Bodies of 9 pupils returning from school retrieved from Weija dam after boat capsize
According to reports, seven school children drowned as a result of the incident while the rescue mission continued.
On Thursday, May 11, 2023, the death toll from the boat accident rose to 9, leaving the parents of the deceased pupils and the entire Faanaa, an island community in the Greater Accra region devastated.
Citinewsroom.com reports Clement Agyi, the Assemblyman for the McCarthy South electoral area as saying that the tragic incident occurred around 5 pm when the children were returning home from school.
There are conflicting reports as to what exactly caused the boat to capsize. Some residents attribute it to the spillage of the Weija Dam while some reports also blame tidal waves.
According to myjoyonline.com, twelve people including the boat owner were on the boat when the incident happened, killing nine of them.
Three people managed to swim to safety, while one child was unaccounted for until the morning of Thursday when her body was discovered.
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Bodies of 9 pupils returning from school retrieved from Weija dam after boat capsize
The bodies of the deceased have been sent to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital mortuary in Accra for preservation and police have also called on parents of the victims to help identify their kin, the news website reports.
Meanwhile, the owner of the capsized boat has been reportedly picked up by the police to assist in the investigation.
A similar incident occurred recently at Azizanya in the Ada estuary, which claimed eight lives. There have been several such cases across the country.
