Committee on Boat Disaster begins sitting

Tapa-Abotoase, May 05, GNA - The eight-member committee of enquiry set up by Government under the Chairmanship of Mr Justice Kofi Essel Mensah, a Circuit Court Judge to investigate the April 8 Volta Lake Disaster has commenced sitting at Tapa-Aboatoase.

Ten people died when a boat conveying evicted settlers from the Digya National Park, designated as Nature Reserve by personnel of the Game and Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission allegedly hit a stump and capsized.

The committee which has five weeks to complete its work is to investigate the cause of the accident, investigate and establish the actual number of people who died from the accident; examine the extent to which the evacuation exercise was linked to the accident and make recommendations to the Ministry of Harbours and Railways, Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines for onward submission to the Presidency. Mr Akimbolo Mawuli Abayateye 30, an outboard motor boat operator, testifying before the committee, said the accident could have been averted if personnel of the Game and Wildlife Eviction Team had not overloaded the boat with people, animals and other personal belongings. He named some of the Game and Wildlife personnel who forced the people on the boat as Gaddafi, War Leader, Corporal, and Ayisi. Mr Abayateye said the crewmen arrived at Gbokope on April 8 to convey personal belongings of the boat owner whose house had been destroyed by the Game and Wildlife Taskforce.

Witness said the personnel forced him to convey passengers from other villages with the warning that "he would see something if refused."

He said on arrival at the main refugee camp, the Game and Wildlife personnel allowed 10 passengers to disembark and had 85 other passengers on board as against 63 passengers the boat was registered to carry. Mr Abayateye said the boat, whose loading mark was under water, indicating that it was overloaded eventually hit a stump and capsized at "Across".

He said he shouted for help but a rainstorm hampered the rescue effort that resulted in the death of 10 passengers.

Another witness, Alhassan Amadu, 65, a fisherman told the Committee that he had lived at Mamakroa for 40 years and only returned from a journey to find his entire family and household belongings at the banks of the lake.

He said he had to join them for two days before being put on the boat en-route Abotoase when the accident occurred however, he was rescued.

Mr Caesaro Awoye Morganu, Secretary of Tapa-Abotaose Boat Owners Association who was the first to testify before the committee, said 200 life jackets supplied to the association by management of Volta River Authority (VRA) in 2000 were insufficient and the association was unable to buy extra jackets at 350,000 cedis each.

He said VRA calibrated loading marks on the boats and collaborated with the association to sensitise its members on safety measures and fire prevention on the boats.

Master Ahiamadzi Anane 10 said he had lived at Agavekope and never visited Abotoase but together with other members of his family were forced onto the boat by personnel of the Game and Wildlife Department, but was also rescued.

Other members of the committee are Mrs Bernadette Esa Chinery-Hesse, of Ghana Maritime Authority, Member/Secretary; Professor Eric Quaye of the University of Ghana and Captain Aaron Turkson of the Regional Maritime Academy.

The rest are; Commander Moses Beick-Baffour, Ghana Maritime Authority and Ghana Navy; Mr Bright Obeng-Boampong, Acting Managing Director of Volta Lake Transport Company Limited; Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) George Yeboah Afari of the Ghana Police Service and Dr Mamaa Entsua-Mensah of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The Committee would sit at Jasikan, Tapa Abotoase and Accra, would also visit other strategic locations on the Lake and in the Park. 05 May 06