Six persons have been rescued, while several others are feared dead after a boat carrying persons displaced by a communal violence capsized on the Black Volta River at Dinie Tuonbo in the Savannah Region.
The victims were reportedly attempting to cross the river into neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire from the Savannah Region when the overloaded boat overturned.
Confirming the incident, the Savannah Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mahama Zakaria, said: “Six persons were rescued by the team, and they are currently searching for the rest of the passengers.”
He explained that NADMO, together with other security agencies, had been dispatched to the area to continue search and rescue operations and recover any bodies.
Mr. Zakaria added that arrangements were being made to transport the remaining displaced persons to Sawla, where a temporary camp has been set up.
Currently, hundreds of residents, particularly women and children from Gbiniyiri and nearby communities, have sought refuge at the Sawla Police Station. They have been provided with temporary tents following renewed violence in the area.
The conflict, which stems from a land dispute between two factions, has so far claimed five lives, with several others sustaining gunshot wounds.
FROM Eric Kombat, Dinie Tuonbo