 |
| This photo, taken two weeks ago, shows large crowds at the waterfall. Sammy Darko/BBC |
A large tree fall during
a storm at Ghana's Kintampo Waterfall has killed at least 17 people, mostly
students, as they were visiting the site north of the capital on Sunday,
officials said Monday.
 |
| BBC |
As
of Monday, 17 bodies have been retrieved at the resort, about 414 kilometers
(257 miles) north of the capital of Accra, Ghana police commander Desmond
Owusu-Boampong told local media. Most of the dead are students from the Wenchi
Methodist Secondary School and the University of Energy and Natural Resources,
he said.
Ghana's
Tourism Minister Catherine Afeku has expressed sympathies to the families of
the victims caught in the tragic rainstorm at Kintampo waterfalls.
"We
extend our condolences to the families of the dead and pray for the injured who
have been rushed to the Kintampo and Techiman General Hospitals," she
said.
The
Ghana Tourism Authority will work closely with police and Kintampo local
officials to ensure the families receive needed support and information, she
said.
Ghanaians Mourn
Dead From Freak Waterfall Accident
BBC
Africa Live reports that Kintampo in Ghana is in a quiet, sorrowful state as
people mourn those who died in the freak waterfall accident at the
weekend.
At
least 18 people, mainly high school students, were killed when a large tree
fell on them at a popular waterfall spot.
The
students were swimming during a storm when the accident happened, local police
chief Owusu Boampong told the BBC.
Twenty-two
others were injured and are being treated at local hospitals.
Some local people are blaming the authorities, saying that the tree that fell had shown signs of weakness and should have been cleared long ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment