DAILY GUIDE has gathered that three persons were reported dead after getting drowned in River Mase at Ehyireso in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region.
The sad incident occurred yesterday morning when the three persons, who were into cocoa farming, were going for their fermented cocoa seeds from a bush to their house for drying.
According to sources, cocoa farmers in the area after harvesting their cocoa would leave the seeds from the cocoa pods in the bush for it to ferment before they would carry the products home for drying.
“So early Sunday morning, about six of the farmers, including the three who have died, decided to go for their produce in the bush in a canoe”, the source indicated.
The names of the deceased persons were given as Alidu and Iddrisu, believed to be siblings from the Bawku area, and Nhyiraba Abraham, popularly called “AB”, a member of Church of Pentecost in the area.
A resident who confirmed the story told DAILY GUIDE that the six cocoa farmers had to cross River Mase in the area in a canoe and as one of them was pulling a rope tied to the canoe, the vessel began to sink when it got to the middle of the river.
“Three out of the six quickly jumped into the river and managed to swim out of it. As the three were swimming, one of the other three deceased persons drowned; the next person wanted to help and he got drowned. The third person who also wanted to help also got drowned,” the resident disclosed.
“There were no rescue team members or indigenous people readily available to help. The onlookers were looking at these three gentlemen drowning”, the resident added.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that onlookers were unwilling to help because they were not experienced enough as regards swimming, and were also terrified.
All the three bodies were later retrieved from the river and deposited at the Wassa Akropong Hospital morgue, after the police had been invited to the scene.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi