Four bodies have been retrieved within the Ashanti Region, following separate incidents of drowning caused by heavy rainfall on Wednesday.
On the night of Wednesday, June 21, three individuals lost their lives in Atafoa, Sepaase, and Tafo.
Tragically, during the recovery operation on Thursday, June 22nd, the brother of one of the victims from the Atafoa incident also met his demise while diving into the river to search for the deceased.
The recovery efforts involved collaboration between the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the National Fire Service, and local community members.
Frank Duodu, the Ashanti Regional Director of NADMO, described Wednesday’s rainfall as the most intense in the past four months.
Duodu told Accra-based CitiNews that Wednesday’s “rain posed significant challenges for us, as it resulted in four drownings. In Tafo, a 6-year-old boy was swept away while trying to retrieve his ball.
At Atafoa, a 47-year-old man was carried away along with his bicycle.
The third incident occurred in Sepaase, where a man was swept away while attempting to navigate the flooded area on his motorbike.”
He added, “Regrettably, the elder brother of the deceased from the Atafoa incident also drowned when he ventured into the water in an attempt to recover his brother’s body.”
