Six drown in Volta Lake after canoe capsizes

An accident on Volta Lake has killed six persons in the Biakoye District of the Oti Region.

The six made up of four females and two males, are reported to have drowned after a canoe they were travelling in, overturned.

The police in the area who confirmed the incident said efforts by some fishermen to save the victims proved futile.

Four others who were on the canoe, however, managed to swim to safety when the incident occurred.

This happened barely two weeks after at least 13 children drowned at a beach in Apam.

The deceased were aged between 13 and 18 years.

There were three survivors from the incident who received treatment at the St Luke Catholic Hospital in Apam.

The deceased were buried on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.

Joseph Narh, one of the dead teenagers’ father, said he was days away from leaving the country with his family to Spain.

“I came from Spain a couple of weeks ago and my plan was to carry them [my family] with me. So I came down for just a month and was to leave with them. It has been a big blow,” he said.

Following the tragic incident, traditional authorities at Apam performed some rites to pacify the gods.

It is believed that the wrath of the gods caused the death of the teenagers.

According to the traditional authorities, consultations with the gods of the land revealed that the teenagers flouted laws not to swim at a place designated for the gods only.

A list of items presented to the gods to appease them included a cow, three sheep, 12 fowls, 33 tubers of yam, and three cartons of schnapps.

Queen-mother of Apam, Nana Essel Botwe, warned residents to obey the laws of the land to avert any such calamities in future.

“Where the children went swimming is the preserve of the gods, and we are happy that our offering was accepted by the gods. When we offered the first sacrifice it wasn’t accepted. So if we had not done this, it would have been disastrous. As humans, we must respect our tradition and custom as we do to our Christian values. We must not take them for granted.”