Body of two-year-old boy found in abandoned manhole at Gbawe

Residents of Gravel Junction, near New Gbawe , were thrown into a state of mourning after a two-year-old boy drowned in an abandoned manhole in the area.

The body of little David was found in the manhole in the Weija-Gbawe municipality of Greater Accra Region.

According to the mother of the deceased, the last time she set her eyes on her son was when he came in to eat.

“He went to play with his friends. But after a while, I called him to return, I gave him some food since he said he was hungry. After eating, he went back to play with his friends. I stepped out to the salon, at about 4 pm, and I even saw him playing with his friends.

“At about 5 pm, my husband called me and said my son had gone missing. So we reported to the Gbawe chief’s palace and the Lafa police station for assistance, but for two days we couldn’t find him,” she added.

The sister of the deceased said she was playing when she decided to visit the washroom.

Upon her return, she could no longer find her brother, whom she believed had been kidnapped.

The Assemblyman of the Gbawe Electoral Area, Andy Oppong Amoako, who visited the scene, could not hide his anger as he complained of many uncovered manholes in the area.

“When I came and saw the manhole, I told them this was a deathtrap because children live in nearby houses and they come out to play here,” he said.

Mr. Oppong urged the municipal assembly to ensure that all “deadly manholes” in the area are either covered or destroyed.

He also pleaded with parents to be extra vigilant in taking care of their children to prevent such occurrences in the near future.

“It is very sad to lose such a child. Somebody’s negligence has made someone lose his child. But I can assure you that as an assemblyman, we will take all the necessary measures to make sure that all these things are dealt with. And people who have decided to cause problems for the community should also prepare for us.”

Member of Parliament for the area, Tina Mensah, who doubles as a Deputy Minister of Health, warned residents who had dug out manholes to as a matter of urgency cover them before the assembly charges on them.

“There are manholes that have been dug for so many years and have not been covered and so the boy went playing around there and fell inside. We are here to console the mother and also give warning to all those people who have dug manholes that they should cover them up,” she said.