Tragically, on Tuesday night, the boat carrying three persons overturned on the Oti River close to Dambai, resulting in their deaths. On its way to Njari, an agricultural and fishing town in the Krachi East Municipality, the boat carrying ten persons from Dambai ran into trouble.
Three people—a man, a woman, and a child—did not survive the event, however rescue operations have confirmed that seven people were saved. In an interview with Citi News, Emmanuel Atali, the Assembly Member for the Dambai Lakeside electoral area, confirmed the tragic loss and said that the Navy, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the police, and local residents have started a massive operation to recover the bodies.
This regrettable incident highlights a rising worry among local tourists who have been using canoes more frequently to cross the Oti River since the only ferry in the area broke down. In order to guarantee safer crossing of the river, the incident has rekindled community calls for the immediate installation of a new ferry or the building of a bridge.
Unfortunately, this is not a unique occurrence. Ghana has seen several comparable disasters in recent years:
1. In the Teberebie electoral region in Prestea, Western Region, 34-year-old assemblyman Manasseh Addison Sackey, also known as Teacher Obour, drowned in December 2023 while running for reelection. On Monday, December 4, the teacher at Teberebie M/A Junior High School perished when the boat he was in overturned in a river that connected Aklika. At the time of the event, he was one of six passengers being transported to another location. Four years prior, Teacher Obour’s predecessor had met a similar end.
2. In August 2023, a canoe capsized in the Golinga irrigation dam, killing four farmers from Galinkpegu in the Tolon District of the Northern Region. They were returning from their farm at around 3 p.m. when the tragedy happened. Alhassan Zakaria, 40; Yakubu Danaa, 45; Alhassan Musah, 45; and Issahaku Musah were named as the victims. Ashore, three additional farmers were able to swim.
3. In May 2023, a boat capsized on the Black Volta while traveling from Dorkorchina to Kpandai, leaving five persons missing and one dead in the Savannah Region. According to Mr. Kipo Sulemana, the NADMO district director in Bole, the accident occurred because the boat was overcrowded with people and cargo. To locate the individuals who went missing, a search was initiated.
4. In May 2023, a boat carrying nine children capsized in Faanaa-Bortianor in the Greater Accra Region, resulting in their drowning. The incident happened on a Wednesday in the late afternoon when the kids were getting home from school. Nine of the twelve passengers—including the boat owner—died.
5. March 2023: A boat carrying mourners overturned on Volta Lake, killing five people. Strong winds are said to have triggered the tragedy, which occurred on a Saturday at around nine in the morning. Two ladies and three children under the age of three were among the victims; none of them had life jackets on. There were around 20 people on the boat, according to reports.
6. January 2023: After their boat overturned on Volta Lake, eight students from the Atikagome Community in the Sene East District of the Bono East Region perished. When the tragedy happened, the students were on their way to school. Ibrahim Wudonyim, the Sene East Director for NADMO, acknowledged the incident and stated that at the time, the boat was transporting twenty children.
These frequent occurrences show how urgently better safety protocols, routine maintenance for transport ships, and the construction of stronger infrastructure are needed to protect the lives of Ghanaians who rely on river transportation.
