This was disclosed by the Chief Executive for the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly, Patrick K.B. Kumor.
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12-year-old boy with no experience paddled canoe that drowned 9 pupils - Weija-Gbawe MCE
It is emerging that the canoe that capsized and drowned nine children at Faana on Wednesday, May 10 was being paddled by a 12-year-old boy who had no experience.
12-year-old boy with no experience paddled canoe that drowned 9 pupils - Weija-Gbawe MCE
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He told Accra-based Citi FM that the man in charge of the canoe was unwell and unavailable to ferry the children across the water body and the said 12-year-old boy took his stead and overloaded the canoe with other minors resulting in the unfortunate accident. He explained that the section of the river where the tragedy struck was where the Densu River enters the sea and the current was high in the evening, so a mature person with experience should have paddled the canoe.
Citinewsroom.com reports him as saying that it only came to the notice of the Municipal Assembly that the said minor was put in charge of the canoe at the time of the heartbreaking drowning of the pupils who were returning from school in another community across the estuary of the Weija dam.
“The information we picked is that the boat was overloaded with minors and the person who was paddling it was a twelve-year-old boy who had no experience and was the one controlling the canoe at the time of the incident. The person who often does that was ill and was not available at the moment to assist them,” the news website quotes Kumor as having said.
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He said a committee will be set up to find a lasting solution to the needs of the Faana community.
“On Friday, a team from the NADMO head office, the regional minister, the two assemblies, and some opinions leaders will be visiting the families, then after, a committee will be put in place to ascertain the lasting solution that needs to be provided for that area and I believe that whatever will be agreed on will be something that will be beneficial to the people of that community.”
Many people have lost their lives to similar incidents across the country. Recently eight people drowned at Azizanya in the Ada estuary.
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