Two die in Densu River at Tetegu

Two persons are reported dead in separate incidents in a tributary of the Densu River at Tetegu in the Ga South Municipality in the Greater Accra Region.

While 19-year-old Kennedy Gbormettah, alias The Hero, drowned while engaged in a swimming competition with some friends, the body of an unidentified woman, 24, was found on the banks of the tributary.

Residents suspect the woman may have been swept away as a result of the spillage of water from the Weija Dam by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).

Eyewitness account

A resident, Mr Anokye Ankoma, who witnessed the drowning of Gbormettah, told the Daily Graphic that the deceased was a known swimmer and was engaged in a swimming competition with his friends.

He said in the course of demonstrating his skills, he disappeared from the tributary, which had overflown its banks due to the spillage of the Weija Dam.

He said Gbormettah’s body was later retrieved from the tributary.

On the death of the woman, other eyewitnesses said they found the body lying by the banks of the tributary when some residents went to board a boat to get to the other side of the town.

Confirmation

The Station Officer at the Tetegu Police Station, Chief Inspector Emmanuel Yabani, who confirmed the deaths in an interview, said a rescue team had been deployed to the area to help save lives.

Briefing

Recounting the incident that led to the untimely death of Gbormettah, who was also an Okada rider, Mr Yaban said the deceased jumped into the river at Tetegu to compete with his friends over who could cross the Densu River, which had overflowed its banks, on October 17, 2018.

He said the deceased, being the son of a fisherman, was able to swim half way through but disappeared in the process.

“His friends, who were baffled at his disappearance, quickly informed his family members about the ordeal and they subsequently appealed to the GWCL to close down two gates of the spillways for the body to be retrieved,” Mr Yaban stated.

And last Saturday around 6:30 a.m., local divers, under the supervision of a joint rescue team of the police and friends of the victim, succeeded in retrieving the body, which has since been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue.

Impact of spillage

Since the spillage by the GWCL, Weija and other surrounding communities such as Glefe, Bortianor, Away, Oblogo, Tetegu, Pambros Salt, Old Barrier and Ada Kokpe have all been flooded.

As a result, most houses and other facilities have been submerged.

Commercial activities in the metropolis came to a halt last Monday morning when the Daily Graphic visited the community. Workers and schoolchildren had to wade through water to get to their destinations.