Apam beach drowning; 12 bodies retrieved

A total of twelve bodies have been retrieved from the Apam beach after about 20 children reportedly drowned on Sunday evening.

The 12 bodies were retrieved Monday afternoon in the incident which happened in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region.

Graphic Online's Gilbert Mawuli Agbey reports that a total of about 20 children were feared dead in the incident which happened on Sunday night.

It occurred around 5pm when the children between the ages of 14 and 17 years reportedly went through an illegal route through a lagoon in order not to be noticed by the leadership of the fishermen at the beach before getting to the other side of the beach to swim.

According to information gathered, as the children were swimming, a heavy tidal wind blew and got them drowned and their bodies were carried away.

Confirming the incident to Graphic Online Monday afternoon, [March 8. 2021], the Apam District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mr Moses Osakonor said that his outfit got the information around 6pm on Sunday and rushed to the scene.

He noted that two of the children who were rescued were receiving treatment at the St Luke Catholic Hospital at Apam, and assisting the police in their investigations.

He added, “as we speak now, lifeless bodies of seven of the children, two girls and five boys have been retrieved and deposited at the morgue of the same hospital."

He stated that according to the survivors, they could not recollect the exact number of the children in the water at the time the incident occurred, stressing “a 14-year-old boy who survived told the police that they were more than 20 in the water”.

He added that the search party is on the high seas to retrieve more bodies.