Three family members, another drown in septic tank
A freak accident led to the drowning of four persons in an industrial septic tank at the Light Industrial Area, North Kaneshie in Accra yesterday.
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Three of them are of the same family and have been identified as a 41-year-old sewage truck driver, Abraham Armah Atto, and his two conductors; Nyarko Atto, 52, who is also an elder brother of the driver, and Nii Boye, 22, a nephew.
The fourth person has been identified as Martey Amarkwei, 25. It is not clear how Amarkwei got drowned.
The three family members were dislodging material from the septic tank which belonged to a recycling company located near Kasajan Limited.
The Kaneshie District Police Commander Chief Superintendent of Police, Mr Fleance Adika told the Daily Graphic that three out of the four people were contracted to dislodge material from the septic tank belonging to the recycling company. After negotiating the fee, the three started working at the site at about 7am yesterday.
“They first filled the truck and went to empty it at Korle Gonno. When they returned they realised that the septic tank had sand in it,” Mr Adika said. For a while, the three discussed how they could scoop out the sand and complete their work.
An eyewitness account
An eyewitness said they then let down the big tube used for dislodging sewage and Boye, who tried to enter the giant cesspit, slipped and fell into it.
According to the eyewitness, Boye started shouting for help and attempted to climb to the top of the tank which had a small opening.
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Nyarko Atto, who realised that his nephew was drowning, attempted to rescue him but he also slipped.
The eyewitness said workers at a nearby construction site told the driver, who was in the vehicle at the time of the incident, that his two conductors were drowning.
He said the driver rushed to the pit and tried to grab his elder brother by the hand but he also fell and they drowned in the the cesspit.
The workers at the construction site, he said, then went to the scene and called for help.
The police arrived at the scene shortly and called in the Fire Service which helped to retrieve the bodies.
Confusion
When the Daily Graphic went to the scene of the incident, the sewage truck, with registration number GM 2318-13, was parked a few metres from the septic tank, where many people had gathered.
The slippers of the victims and a pair of red and dirty white rubber gloves were also found close to the septic tank.
Family members who arrived shortly were angry when they heard that one of the supervisors of the construction site had ordered his workers to get back to work instead of witnessing the scene.
The police had a difficult time controlling some angry family members who threw stones at the workers at the construction site.
The father of the driver identified the bodies of his sons and young relative which have been deposited at the Police Hospital in Accra.
A distraught driver, Kwame Bannerman, who described himself as a colleague of all deceased, claimed the victims were supposed to be four.
He said another young man whom he could only identify as Mantey was with the other three.
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“They are always four on the truck. I saw him today with them,” said Bannerman who claimed all calls to his two phone numbers were not going through.
Writer’s email: emelia.ennin@graphic.com.gh