A 50-year-old man has drowned in Owabi River at Atafoa in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti region following heavy rainfall on Wednesday evening, June 21, 2020.
Kwame Asuman drowned in the early hours of Thursday in Owabi Dam in an attempt to discover his junior brother Kwaku Aboagye, 40 who was swept away by flooding water on Wednesday 21st June 2023 evening while crossing the Owabi River on bicycle on the Barekese main road.
The two siblings are both currently trapped under the river as residents’ and rescue party struggle to locate the drown family of two.
Although security personnel made up of police, fire fighters and members of the National disaster Management organization arrived on time, lack of life jackets to aid their mission to the scene made them helpless; they feared they could equally be swept away without life jackets.
The Assembly member of Abrepo Electoral Area, Daniel Acheampong said “Kwaku Aboagye was the first to be swept away by the heavy flood which occurred after torrential rains on Wednesday’’.
He explained, “the family came to the river side the next morning to find the body and so his elder brother, Kwame Asuman went into the river upon instructions of a priest after performing traditional rites which will lead to the trace of the body of the deceased. Kwame Asuman also drowned in the full glare of the family members and the security officials. So far two men from the same family have gone missing in the Atafoa River in Yesterday evening’’.
At the time of filing this report the rescue party deployed to the scene remains helpless at the river side as they put their heads together to strategize on what to do about the situation.
The development has left scores of Atafoa residents who storm the river side to aid discovery of the deceased very disappointed in the government for not resourcing security personnel to carry the responsibilities in time of need.
So far three people have been swept away in Ashanti region after yesterday evening rainfall 2 at Atafoa and 1 Abuakwa Besiase.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Isaac Justice Bediako
