A heart-wrenching incident unfolded at the Golinga irrigation dam in the Tolon district of the Northern region, as a canoe carrying seven individuals capsized on Saturday evening.
The unfortunate incident resulted in three confirmed deaths, while one person remains missing, prompting a community-wide search and rescue effort.
The incident occurred as seven individuals who were returning from a farm attempted to cross the Golinga dam by canoe, a route often taken as the shortest path to their community.
Tragically, the canoe capsized in the middle of the water, casting the passengers into a dam.
Of the seven occupants, three managed to swim to safety, while the remaining four – Alhassan Zakaria (40), Yakubu Danaa (45), Alhassan Musah (45), and Issahaku Baako (46) – were unable to escape the water’s grasp and tragically drowned.
Upon receiving the distressing news, community members immediately formed a search team to locate the missing individuals. The team was able to retrieve the lifeless bodies of Alhassan Zakaria, Yakubu Danaa, and Alhassan Musah from the water.
The community has since given them a dignified burial near the dam, as tradition demands.
The search for Issahaku Baako, the missing individual, continued through the night, but the darkness and challenging conditions hindered the efforts.
With the break of dawn on Sunday, August 13, the search resumed with renewed determination to find the remaining person.
Nantogma Zakaria, the Assembly member for the Golingna electoral area, expressed shock over the incident, emphasizing that such a tragedy had not occurred on the dam before.