Three children have drowned in separate incidents in the Mankra River at Mankranso in the Ashanti Region in one week.
One of the victims, a junior high school student, drowned on Thursday, August 31, while two drowned on Monday, September 4, 2023.
They all drowned while crossing the river to school.
According to residents, they fell off a log that had been placed across the river to enable both adults and children to reach their various destinations.
Their bodies were recovered after traditional authorities performed some rituals.
Confirming the incidents, the District Chief Executive for Ahafo Ano South West, Joseph Frimpong Bonsu, said efforts were underway to construct a footbridge across the river.
“We had a makeshift log that we used to cross the river, but the children lived in a certain village and they were coming to school. When they got to the river, they fell from the log into the water.
“The bodies are at the mortuary and we have made contact with the families. We are having a meeting today and we have taken measures to ensure that this incident does not happen again,” he said in an interview with Citi News.
Drowning cases involving children in communities along riverbanks have increased in recent months.
On June 26, two children reportedly drowned in the Akora River in the Agona West Municipality of the Central Region.
On Saturday, June 24, three students of the Daboase Senior High Technical School in the Western Region drowned in the Subri River.
The victims, all first-year students, had sneaked out of their dormitory to swim in the Subri River, which had overflown its banks due to the heavy rains.
In another incident, nine schoolchildren drowned after the boat they were travelling on capsized on the estuary at Wiaboman on May 13, 2023.