Ten persons have been confirmed dead after the boat on which they were travelling hit a tree stump in the Volta Lake on Wednesday, 30 May 2018.
The Krachi West District Chief Executive (DCE), Douglas Osei-Nti, who could not confirm the gender and ages of the victims, noted that the Navy was still conducting a search and rescue mission.
The authorities could not account for one of the passengers.
He said, “Five bodies were retrieved on Wednesday after the accident and another five retrieved on Thursday. We are yet to have new updates from the Navy.”
Mr Osei-Nti, who is also the Chairman of the Krachi-West District Security Committee (DISEC), disclosed that the boat hit a tree stump.
The passengers were mostly traders, who had travelled to the area from far and near, particularly Sene East in the Brong-Ahafo Region, to trade during the Krachi Market Day on Wednesday.
Although Mr Osei-Nti could not confirm the number of casualties, he said the incident happened on the Sene East side of the Volta Lake.
The DCE said “the lake has unpredictable weather, it may be calm in Krachi and 30 minutes after setting off you may encounter a storm.”
The Volta Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Divine Bosson, who shared similar sentiments, said the accident occurred at a village called Kpaleme in the Sene East District of the Brong Ahafo Region.
“A storm pushed the boat which hit a tree stump,” he added.
The bodies have been deposited at the Krachi West Government Hospital morgue since the major communities along the lake do not have a morgue.
In all, six people are currently receiving treatment at the Krachi West Government Hospital, but one person has not been accounted for. The Navy is still working round the clock,” he stated.
Sources claimed one Akwasi Aweyeh, who lost his daughter and believed to be the owner of the boat, was assisting the police in investigations.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)