The terrible drowning of 19-year-old Elisha Akanlawen, a Senior High School (SHS) 2 student, in the Amponsah Dam at Bibiani Zongo, in the Western North Region, turned an enjoyable afternoon into a devastating tragedy.
The young student had gone to the dam to swim with a group of friends, but things took a devastating turn when Elisha, who was not skilled in swimming, ventured into the deep waters.
Eyewitnesses reported that Elisha struggled to keep afloat and was soon overwhelmed by the water, despite his friends’ desperate attempts to save him. Unfortunately, their efforts proved unsuccessful.
The community was quickly alerted to the situation, and both the police and local leaders arrived at the scene. According to the Assembly Member for the Zongo Electoral Area, Mohammed Abdallah, traditional rituals were performed to retrieve the body from the water.
After the rituals were completed, Elisha’s lifeless body was transported to the Bibiani Government Hospital mortuary for preservation and further investigations.
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Speaking to Adom News, Mr. Abdallah expressed his sorrow over the tragic loss and revealed that this was not the first time the Amponsah Dam had claimed a life. The Assembly Member emphasized that the community has long been calling for measures to make the area safer.
Specifically, he advocates for a fence around the dam to prevent future incidents like this one. Despite numerous appeals to local authorities, no action has been taken to address the safety concerns at the dam.
Mr. Abdallah called on the government and relevant bodies to take immediate action to prevent further tragedies. He pleaded for urgent intervention to safeguard the lives of community members, especially the youth who frequent the dam for leisure.
This devastating incident has left the community in mourning, and there are growing calls for stronger safety measures at local water bodies to protect vulnerable individuals from similar accidents in the future.
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