The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has attributed the canoe accident on the River Offin in the Atwima Mponua, to overloading.
NADMO says the canoe which should convey five people at a time had nine persons on board at the time it capsized.
Five people went missing after the canoe capsized but two of them have been found dead. Three are currently missing and search is ongoing.
Four people managed to swim for safety.
The Atwimoa Mponua District NADMO Disaster Control Officer for Agogoso Zonne, Maxell Adu explained that “there were nine people in the canoe. Two have been retrieved dead”.
He told Alfred Ocansey, host of 3FM’s Sunrise on Monday October 11 that “if the canoe had less than five people on board at the, that incident would not have happened because not more than five people should be on that boat”.
Mr. Adu said “they were too much on the boat so the canoe collected the water and then it capsized. One of the dead was also swimming to safety but one of the colleagues who was drowning dragged him back.
Floods
The NADMO official stated that “floods have also contributed to capsize because it’s been raining for the past two weeks in our area”.
The Assembly Member for New Achiase Electoral Area in Atwimoa Mponua, Kwame Krah also said the Assembly brought four live jackets after the canoe capsized.
He said such an accident has never occurred in the area. To that end, he said they have never requested for live jackets for the people.
Mr. Krah noted that normally, only one person would die as a result of canoe capsize but this is the first time more than one person is dead.
By Kweku Antwi-Otoo|3news.com|Ghana