Some family members sitting in front. INSET: The caskets containing the mortal remains of the deceased. The baby and the mother were put in one casket
Hundreds of people who thronged the Sekondi Wesley Cathedral of the Methodist Church, including family members and friends, to bid farewell to the five siblings who were killed by floods at Ngyiresia in the Sekondi-Takoradi recently, wept uncontrollably.
The five deceased persons, including a one year old baby girl who died on the spot after the building in the fishing community in which they were sleeping, collapsed on them at about 8pm as a result of a heavy downpour in the metropolis about two weeks ago.
It was gathered that the rains uprooted a bamboo tree on a hill nearby and hit a portion of the building where the six siblings were sleeping and caused the building to collapse.
Residents in the metropolis who attended the funeral service in their numbers could not hold back their tears when the caskets containing the mortal remains of the victims were placed for people to pay their last respects.
The deceased included Aunty Ama, 18 and mother of the one year old baby, Beatrice Amoah. The rest were Ama Doku, 16; Clement Arhin ‘Junior’, 9 and Emmanuel Amoah, 6 years.
Meanwhile Clement Arhin ‘Senior’,13, who was severely injured had been responding to treatment at the Essikado Government Hospital in the metropolis.
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Anthony Kobina Kurentsir Sam consoled the bereaved family and asked them to stand firm and have faith in the Lord.
He used the occasion to advice the residents in the area to desist from erecting structures at unapproved areas in the metropolis to avoid any further calamity in the near future.
On behalf of the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah and the Member of Parliament for the area, Joe Ghartey, the MCE presented GHc6,000 to the family to support the funeral rites.
Present at the burial ceremony included the Deputy Western Regional Minister, Gifty Eugenia Kusi, Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, the Effia-Kwesimtsim Municipal Chief Executive, Kojo Acquah and the Western Regional NADMO Coordinator, Mohammed Abdul Ganiyu.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Sekondi