Mother who lost daughter in service boat accident on River Oti griefs

Madam Precious Tomfour, a woman whose five-year-old daughter died in the boat accident on the River Oti in the Krachi East Municipality of the Oti Region, has described her attempt to save her child as traumatic.

She said the boat capsized after part of the vessel collapsed causing water to flood the boat, leading to the incident.

Madam Tomfour told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), that she was struggling to hold on to her daughter and swim away from the boat’s propeller, when she heard another woman screaming for help and lost her grip leading to the death of her daughter.

She said: “Lying in the water, dipping into unconsciousness, the victim hung on me and I have no choice than to struggle with her, adding that, her daughter was already gone beneath the surface of the water.

Madam Tomfour said that those drowned, including her daughter, were sailing to Njari and would have survived the boat accident if they had worn lifejackets.

She appealed to boat operators and passengers to subscribe to lifejackets, as the experience was agonizing and traumatic.

Madam Akorfa Agbeko, another survivor described how some of the victims, who were onboard hung onto a pregnant woman, causing her to drown.

“Some were however able to swim to safety after the storm capsized the boat,” she said.

GNA