The Upper East Regional office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has confirmed the death of some 20 persons in the Upper East Region due to the continuous down pour in some districts.
Though there have been some questions over the accuracy of the figures from the affected districts, the Regional NADMO office has insisted on the number, saying it is an accumulated figure.
DGN Online has gathered that there were some inconsistencies in the figures, for example in the case of Kassena-Nankana West, where the figure finally reduced from 11 deaths to three deaths.
According to the Upper East Regional Director in-charge of Operations at NADMO, David Mba, the number of deaths were gathered from the beginning of October 2019 with the first two deaths happening at Yorogo in the Bolgatanga Municipality on October 1, 2019, where two women were electrocuted by thunder.
One of the two women (names not known) was plating the hair of the other with the help of light from phone.
The light from the national grid had gone off on that night due to the rain. They were reportedly electrocuted through the phone.
From interactions with residents, it appears that some of the deaths could have been prevented if people had heeded to education on the need to keep high level of safety measures during the raining seasons.
The following is a breakdown of the death toll: Kassena-Nankana West recorded four cases, out of this number, three died as a result of a collapsed room and one drowned.
In the Bolgatanga Municipality two women were electrocuted and one crushed by a collapsed room.
Kassena-Nankana Municipal recorded three deaths, one drowned and two as a result of a collapsed room. The Bawku Municipality recorded one death from a collapsed room. Builsa South recorded three deaths, one as a result of drowning and two deaths as a result of collapsed room.
Binduri District recorded one death as a result of collapsed room. Garu District had one person drowned after a down pour.
In Talensi all the four deaths were as a result of drowning.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga