Disaster boat fully loaded with passengers

Sunyani, (B/A) Sept. 07, GNA- Nana Bernard Atta Afena, Brong Ahafo Regional Director of NADMO has disclosed that the boat that capsized on the Volta Lake at Yeji on September 3 was fully loaded with bags of rice, three cows, tubers of yam and had 165 passengers aboard according to an eyewitness account.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview after visiting the place, Nana Atta Afena also disclosed that officially, 28 bodies has been retrieved and was of the view that many of the bodies had been retrieved and buried, but the town folks were not co-operating with investigators.

He said Sundays are market days at Yeji and many traders who are desperate to travel have to do so with the few boats available compelling boat owners and operators to take advantage of the situation and exploit the people.

Nana Atta Afena noted that some of these disasters are preventable, adding that if authorities charged with the responsibilities of ensuring safety had done their work properly, this disaster could have been stopped.

He noted that it is the duty of the Meteorological Service Department to provide early weather warning systems whiles organisations such as the Ghana Maritime Authority, (GMA) NADMO, the police boat owners and operators are there to ensure safety of passengers to and from the lake. =93NADMO should be doing its work, together with the others mentioned but everybody thinks somebody will do it but nobody does it except the unexpected happens=94, Nana Atta Afena added.

The Regional Director however, said probably lack of incentives and logistics are preventing them from discharging their duties. He said, in view of the re-occurring nature of the disasters, a permanent task force would be launched at Yeji on Saturday by the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah to monitor lake transport activities and also serve as rapid response team in case of emergency.

Nana Atta Afena added that the body would have representatives from the Police, GMA, NADMO, District Assembly, the Ghana Army and Boat Owners and Operators Association.

He said NADMO is gradually shifting its focus from relief item distributions to education sensitisation and prevention of disasters, which, he said, are mostly man made.

Nana Atta Afena later described the atmosphere as the time of leaving the town as normal with people going about their duties, except some wailings in the homes of those whose relatives had not been traced.