Yeji Boat Disaster: Police to prosecute boat owners

The Yeji District Police Commander, DSP Abraham Bansah has appealed to government to replace the deplorable pontoon (vessel) to help prevent another boat disaster on the Volta Lake.

He attributed the Sunday, May 29 boat disaster to overloading.

According to him, in order to prevent such accidents again, government should replace the pontoon.

Speaking in interview with Kwame Tutu on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, DSP Bansa said, the helmsmen in Yeji overload their boats due to the damaged pontoon, a situation he said is worrying.

The police commander revealed that, this the second boat disaster in two weeks- and that the two disasters was caused by overloading. The boat with about 70 people on board is said to have hit a tree stump and sunk in the middle of their journey from Nantwekope to Yeji in the Brong Ahafo region, Sunday.

DSP Bansa told the host that, the boat was supposed to have carried not more than 57 passengers but it loaded 70 passengers with other goods including tubers of yam, bags of kokonte, among others.

Information he said the police have gathered indicates that, the helmsmen (drivers) are not the true owners of the boat.

The police he said are considering prosecuting the owners of the boat, to serve as deterrent to others who hand over their boats to unqualified persons to paddle.

Currently, the death toll has hit 13 including six children under three years, and a pregnant woman.