Tragedy has hit the people ofJaklai, Yeji, as a 12-year-old boy named David Tsitor drowned in the Volta Lake.
The incident occurred on Sunday, May 21, 2023, with the news reaching residents at around 9:30 am.
According to witnesses at the scene, the young boy, along with two companions, had gone to the water’s edge to fetch water when the unfortunate incident took place.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the boys ventured onto the lake using a canoe and began playing.
However, the situation quickly turned dire when the canoe owner noticed their presence and attempted to flee. In a panic, the boys jumped into the water. While two of them were successfully rescued, tragically, David Tsitor drowned.
Community leader Godwin Kedzi shared these details, highlighting the efforts made to rescue the boys and the sorrow felt by the community. Godwin Awudi, the Assemblyman for Yeji Traditional Council Electoral Area, commended the swift response of the search party involved in the incident.
Addressing the ongoing concern, Awudi expressed his worries about the increasing frequency of drowning incidents in the area.
He emphasized the need to implement measures to prevent children from swimming in the lake, taking steps to enhance safety and prevent further tragedies.
On April 30, 2023, rescuers in the Oti region’s Krachi West Municipality retrieved the bodies of a man and woman who were believed to have drowned when their canoe capsized on Volta Lake.
Two teenage siblings and their friend also drowned in the White Volta River at Naaga, a community in the Kassena Nankana Municipality in the Upper East Region.
The unfortunate incident happened around 3 pm on Saturday, April 15, 2023.
The deceased, two boys and one girl, were among eight teenagers between the ages of 11 and 17 who had gone to wash mangoes and swim in the river.
They reportedly went to get mango fruits from a big mango tree close to the river in the community since they were not allowed to take mangoes belonging to neighbours in the area.
After successfully plucking the mangoes, they decided to go into the river to wash the fruits.
In the process, they all jumped into the river to swim.
Unfortunately, they drifted towards the deep part of the river.
Five of them managed to swim back to the riverside, but the river carried away three others.