[ 2017-10-04 ]

3 students drown in River Ayensu
The township of Agona Kwanyako, in the Agona East
District of the Central region was thrown into a
state of mourning, following the drowning of three
second-year students of Agona Kwanyako Anglican
Junior High School (JHS).

The deceased are Matilda Amatayo,16; Hannah
Mensah, 18; and Rahael Awudzie, 17.

According to the bereaved parents and the
Headteacher of the School, Nii Okain, his teachers
asked the students, including the girls to bring
bamboos to school on Monday.

The bamboos were to be used to make leisure seats
at the school.

The bodies have not been found by over 20 divers
made up of members of the Asafo Company of Agona
Kwanyako and others since last Saturday when the
news broke.

District Chief Executive (DCE) of Agona East,
Dennis Armah-Frempong, and his delegation had
earlier visited the Chiefs, Asafo Companies,
bereaved families and teachers of Anglican JHS to
discuss ways and means to recover the bodies from
the river.

The DCE and his team on Sunday morning again
joined the search party, chiefs, the bereaved
families, some residents and teachers to search
for the bodies of the three girls.

Nana Adeiso, Nifahene of Agona Kwanyako told the
DCE and his delegation that five girls and a boy
on Saturday, went to the river banks to cut the
bamboos, but two girls and the boy escaped
unhurt.

Kwame Mensah, the father of Hannah Mensah, one of
the deceased, said he told his daughter not to go
and cut the bamboo but rather wash his clothes for
him, but the girl ignored his instruction.

Comfort Assani, the mother of Amatayo, deceased,
said she instructed her daughter not to go to the
banks of River Ayensu to cut the bamboo, but the
girl indicated that she would be punished on
Monday by the teachers.

Mrs. Assani said she told her daughter that on
Monday she herself will accompany her to school to
plead with the teachers and explain why she did
not bring the bamboo to school, but her daughter
refused to heed the advice.

The parents have appealed to the Ministry of
Education and the Director- General of the Ghana
Education Service to intervene to stop teachers
and especially head of basic schools from forcing
school children to bring bamboos, stones, fire
woods, brooms and others to curb disasters.

The bodies have still not been found. 

Source - GNA

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