Man drowns in river Atafoa in attempt to discover his brother

A 50-year-old man drowned in the Owabi River at Atafoa in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti region following heavy rainfall on Wednesday evening, June 21, 2020.

Kwame Asuman drowned in the early hours of Thursday in Owabi Dam in an attempt to discover his junior brother Kwaku Aboagye, 40, who was swept away by flooding water on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, while crossing the Owabi River on a bicycle on the Barekese main road.

The two siblings are both currently trapped under the river as residents and rescue parties struggle to locate the drowned family of two.

Although security personnel made up of police, firefighters, and members of the National Disaster Management Organization arrived on time, a lack of life jackets to aid their mission to the scene made them helpless; they feared they could equally be swept away without life jackets.

The Assembly member for Abrepo Electoral Area, Daniel Acheampong, said, “Kwaku Aboagye was the first to be swept away by the heavy flood that occurred after torrential rains on Wednesday."

He explained, “The family came to the riverside the next morning to find the body, and so his elder brother, Kwame Asuman, went into the river upon the instructions of a priest after performing traditional rites that would lead to the trace of the body of the deceased. Kwame Asuman also drowned in the full glare of family members and security officials. So far, two men from the same family have gone missing in the Atafoa River since yesterday evening."

At the time of filing this report, the rescue party deployed to the scene remains helpless at the riverside as they put their heads together to strategize on what to do about the situation.

The development has left scores of Atafoa residents who stormed the riverside to aid in the discovery of the deceased very disappointed in the government for not resourcing security personnel to carry out their responsibilities in times of need.

So far, three people have been swept away in the Ashanti region after yesterday evening's rainfall: two at Atafoa and one at Abuakwa Besiase.