Reports say the sad incident occurred on Thursday, April 14, in the Afram Plains area of the Eastern Region.
According to starfm.com.gh, the passengers were travelling from Dzemani to Havekope, but at about 8:00 am, they encountered a heavy storm on the lake, which overwhelmed them.
The news website added that thirteen of the passengers were rescued by local fishermen, but seven drowned. The bodies of the deceased, which include five females and two males, have been deposited at a private morgue for autopsy and preservation. The Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command, DSP Ebenezer Tetteh, is reported to have confirmed the incident. He said that the ages of the deceased ranged between 16 and 31.
This is not the first such incident on the Volta lake. In May 2020, five people died after a boat carrying 25 passengers from Dzemeni to Agalakope was hit by a heavy storm, causing it to capsize.In that accident, about 10 people were immediately rescued. One of the victims, an 18-year-old boy, saved himself, but his 60-year-old mother, Adjoa Ahilehe, didn’t survive.
Also, in 2021, six people reportedly died when the canoe in which they were traveling on the same Volta Lake capsized. The incident occurred in the Biakoye District of the Oti Region, killing four females and two males, while four other passengers were saved. Reports by the Daily Graphic stated that one of the victims was identified as Evelyn Gadagoe, a final year student at Kadjebi-Asato Senior High School.
According to the Police Commander for Nkonya, DSP David Asirifi Donkor, information gathered from eyewitnesses indicated that the passengers on board the canoe were returning to their villages after going to work on their farms.
He said that along the journey, the canoe encountered strong winds and capsized.
