Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Ghana

50 drown in Volta Lake boat accident

    ABIDJAN

    Divers have recovered 50 bodies following a boat accident on 18 April near Amevloikope Island on Ghana's Volta Lake, the Ghana News agency (GNA) reported on Wednesday.

    GNA said two of the dead were identified while the others were buried in a mass grave. It said divers rescued 34 passengers while the search continued for those still missing.

    GNA reported the secretary of a local boat owners association, Kaizayo Yaw Awoye, as saying that the vessel had been carrying 90 passengers instead of the authorized 76, and at least 90 bags of salt, maize, cement, sugar.

    The boat's owner and its driver escaped unhurt and were helping the police in their investigations. An angry mob almost lynched policemen protecting the owner, GNA reported.

    Awoye said 76 people drowned in the lake in a similar boat accident in June 1999, GNA reported.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join