Relations in a meeting at their family house. INSET: Akorkor Wussah life photograph.
Two girls died at Agbedrafor, a farming community in Sege in the Ada West District of the Greater Accra Region after consuming watermelon with supposed poison.
The deceased are Akorkor Wussah, an eight-year-old pupil of Agbedrafor Primary School and Emmanuella Ayim, a seven-year-old Primary 4 pupil of Bonikope Primary School.
Akorkor, aka Akor, reportedly died on Thursday at the Ada East District Hospital after she was transferred from the Bonikope Health Centre in the Ada West District where she was initially rushed for immediate medical attention.
Her relation, Emmanuella, also died at the Battor Catholic Hospital on Sunday.
Meanwhile, four other family members-Devine Wussah, Tesia Wussah, Akwele Wussah and Teye Dameh, who also consumed the watermelon, are receiving treatment at the Battor Catholic Hospital and Sege Health Centre.
The Sege and Mepe Police are investigating the matter, with samples of the fruit forwarded to the laboratory for test.
Information gathered by DAILY GUIDE indicates that the victims seem to have coincidentally consumed the fruit.
They started complaining of stomach ache some few minutes after eating the fruit.
Parents of the deceased decided to use enema push the supposed poison in their stomach upon realising that their conditions had worsened.
Emmanuella suddenly became weak and was rushed to health facility.
Authorities at the health facility immediately reported the matter to the police.
Sources also said authorities at the hospital ordered the examination of the remaining watermelon.
Hanson Ayim, father of the deceased, said that “we suspect the watermelon that they ate caused the deaths, but we cannot confirm that now because the hospital and police are conducting investigations.”
Dr Philip Kwaku Narh, Medical Superintendent of the Ada East District Hospital, told the paper via phone that “we are not certain it’s the watermelon but we’re investigating it because it’s serious.”
Residents, who were astounded, called for thorough investigations.
From Vincent Kubi, Agbedrafor