Two brothers have drowned in an abandoned quarry lake located between Donorkope and the Catholic Secretariat in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region after attempting to rescue their younger brother.
The deceased have been identified as Felix Dogbey, 18, a Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduate, and Christian Dogbey, 25, a worker at a food processing company in Asikuma.
Daniel Gidi, the Akatsi South Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), told the Ghana News Agency that the incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m. on May 15.
According to him, the deceased, together with about nine relatives, had travelled to Live Donorkope for a funeral where their mother resides. The group later visited the abandoned quarry lake for recreation without the supervision of residents familiar with the area.
Mr Gidi said the incident began when the brothers’ nine-year-old sibling, Eric Dogbey, started drowning in the water-filled quarry pit.
“Felix, after realising that their brother was calling for help, decided to rescue him but ended up drowning after rescuing his younger brother,” he said.
He added that Christian, sensing danger, also entered the water in an attempt to rescue Felix, but both brothers drowned in the process.
Mr Gidi disclosed that the abandoned quarry pit is estimated to be between 18 and 24 metres deep.
He said initial rescue efforts by local divers on Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16, were unsuccessful.
According to him, officers from the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC) at Sogakope Nutekpor were later contacted to assist with the rescue operation, but had to suspend efforts on Saturday evening due to poor visibility underwater.
“We called for help from the Navy officers, who decided to continue with rescue operations Sunday morning after experiencing poor visibility on Saturday evening inside the water,” he added.
Daniel Dagba, the Akatsi South Municipal Chief Executive, together with officials from NADMO and other stakeholders, visited the scene on Saturday to assess the situation.
Moses Gadri, the Assembly Member for the area, told the GNA that the deceased hailed from Akatsi Alagbokope but resided in Asikuma.
However, the bodies of the deceased were later seen floating on Sunday morning, May 17, before the arrival of the Navy officers.
Personnel from the Ghana Police Service in Akatsi have since deposited the bodies at the St. Paul’s Hospital morgue pending autopsy.
The incident has thrown the community into mourning.
