A 34-year-old teacher seeking re-election as an assemblyman for the Teberebie electoral area in Prestea, in the Western Region, has drowned.
Manasseh Addison Sackey, popularly known as Teacher Obour, met his untimely death on Monday, December 4.
He was en route to campaign in nearby villages with five others.
Despite warnings to avoid the journey, he insisted it was a short distance.
The canoe, carrying the group, capsized in the middle of the river connecting Aklika, resulting in the drowning of Teacher Obour and another gentleman.
Prestea FM journalist Nana Esi Brew Monney reported that the search team recovered Teacher Obour’s lifeless body around 6:00 pm, four hours after the tragic incident.
The body has since been deposited at the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital mortuary.
Meanwhile, investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident are underway.
Drowning is a critical global public health concern that often leads to tragic loss of life, especially among vulnerable communities.
According to WHO, globally, drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death. It is responsible for about 7% of all deaths due to injuries.
Annually, about 240,000 people die due to drowning.
In 2018 alone, drowning deaths in Ghana reached 1,206 or 0.60% of total deaths.
Researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) revealed that a total of 1,449 drowning cases were recorded in the last three years.
The growing number of deaths related to river drowning is not merely a statistical figure; it is a haunting tale of shattered families, grieving communities, and the persistent question of what more can be done to prevent such tragedies.