S/Sgt Arthur Jabez
Two soldiers, who are a couple, were among seven persons who lost their lives tragically in Sunday’s downpour in Accra.
The single cabin pickup of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), with registration number 44 GA 76 on which they were travelling, was swept away on a bridge at Ashaiman during the downpour.
One of the occupants of the pickup, a child of a certain Alice Arhin, was still missing at the time of compiling the report yesterday.
The deceased soldiers have been identified as S/Sgt Arthur Jabez, 45, and his wife WO Sarah Kuadzi, 40 – both of the Base Ordinance Depot (BOD). Besides, they fellowship with the Burma Camp Worship Centre.
The two, who were with some civilians in the bucket of the pickup, were said to be returning from a funeral.
Official Confirmation
Col Aggrey-Quarshie, Director of the Public Relations Directorate of GAF, who confirmed the incident, said “circumstances under which a military vehicle was used, at the time the accident occurred, for a funeral is being investigated by the Military Police.”
“In cases of funerals, the unit is represented. A baby was on board the vehicle. Two persons died in the cabin and two others in the bucket,” he said.
The Colonel’s explanation debunks the earlier narration that none of those in the bucket died.
Per his narration, two others in the bucket died in the accident.
Accident Spot
The sad incident reportedly happened at a location known as Under Bridge in the Adjei Kojo area on the Accra Tema Motorway in the Tema West area.
The vehicle plunged into a large storm drain, got covered by the deluge and swept away by the strong currents despite its weight.
By the time rescuers arrived, the victims had breathed their last. WO Sarah was said to have returned from Takoradi only last Saturday to meet her untimely death.
DAILY GUIDE also gathered that the female soldier returned recently from Sudan where she undertook peacekeeping mission. The colleagues of the dead soldiers are in a somber mood following the sad incident.
Rapid Flowing
The bodies of four of the dead were recovered at Adjei Kojo shortly after the incident. But for the rescue of others in the bucket of the pickup by a NADMO team, the death toll could have been higher.
It took about four hours for the NADMO Search-and-Rescue Team to locate the remains of the deceased early yesterday.
The Chief Executive of Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, visited the location at the time of the retrieval of the bodies.
Recent Floods
Six persons were confirmed dead last Sunday after it rained for over three hours in Accra, the Greater Accra Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Archibald Cobbinah said.
The number of deaths recorded since the onset of the rains in the two Sundays stands at about 12.
Three persons reportedly got drowned at Sakaman, a suburb of Accra – one of whom was a six-year-old boy.
Mr. Cobbinah told the paper that his outfit rescued four persons – one at Alokoshi close to Achimota and three at Adentan.
“I escaped drowning too in the course of the operation during Sunday’s rains. It was just by the grace of God that I survived,” he said.
Cautioning against underestimating the power of rainwater, he said “the currents are very powerful and can sweep any vehicle. People should be mindful about this fact when driving through the rains.”
“It’s important that residents maintain good neighbourliness so that in times of downpours, they can easily make calls to their neighbours to take care of our children, instead of driving through the rains to risk their lives,” he added.
The Ghana Meteorological Services Agency forecast last Sunday’s downpour.
Ashaiman Dam
As of press time yesterday, a 17-year-old boy was said to have drowned while swimming in a dam at Ashaiman.
By A.R. Gomda