Fiapre: The drowning of a 14-year-old boy in the Kwasu-Abena River has thrown the Fiapre community in the Sunyani Municipality into a state of grief and mourning.
According to Ghana News Agency, the heartbreaking incident occurred around 1500 hours on Wednesday, February 4, when the deceased, Matthew Mahama, along with his five friends, went to swim in the river along the Fiapre-Catholic University stretch. The friends of the deceased attempted to rescue him but were unsuccessful. The incident has since spread rapidly and has become the major topic of discussion in the town.
Some officers from the Ghana National Fire Service were informed and managed to retrieve the body from the river. The body was then handed over to the police for preservation and autopsy at the Sunyani Teaching Hospital Mortuary. Mr. Kofi Mahama, the father of the deceased, expressed the emotional pain the family is experiencing and advised children to obey their parents.
Nana Fosu Gyeaboa, the linguist of the Fiapre Traditional Authority, mentioned that the community would perform rituals to pacify the river, urging contractors to engage with local chiefs and queens before executing community projects. Contractors working on a steel bridge and drainage system project on the river expressed concerns about the frequent swimming activities of local boys.
Mr. Kofi Kankam, Site Engineer of Kofi Job Construction Limited, conveyed condolences to the bereaved family and urged parents to monitor their children's movements.