The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, accompanied by the Members of Parliament for Weija Gbawe, Gifty Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah, and Sylvester Tetteh, Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfrom, and their respective MCEs Patrick Kumor and Nyarni Joseph last Friday paid a visit to the families who lost their children in the Faana river disaster.
He expressed sorrow about the disaster and described it as unfortunate and unacceptable for anybody to politicise it for political benefit.
He assured the families that government will bear the cost of the burial preparations for the lost children “as they requested prior to the ban on drumming and noise-making on Monday.”
The two MPs, on their part, committed to buy a boat and a life jacket for the community to use as a mode of transportation.
The boat, it has been announced, will not be used for fishing and will be supervised by the two municipal assemblies.
The minister urged the grieving parents and others around to prioritise the safety of their children and ensure that they are always safe before attending to other matters, especially when they are crossing the river since it’s the only means of transport at Faana.
The Regional Minister greeting the bereaved families during the visit
Disaster struck the island community of Faana in the larger Weija area of the Greater Accra Region last Wednesday.
The children who were returning home from school as they do everyday, drowned after the canoe on which they were capsized.
Twelve persons, one of them the boat owner, were said to be on the canoe when the accident occurred, claiming nine lives initially.
There were three survivors who managed to swim to safety when the accident took place.
By A.R. Gomda