5 drown as vehicle plunges into Owabi River in Ashanti region

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Five people have drowned when a vehicle they were traveling in veered off at a section of the Dabaa-Akropong road and plunged into the Owabi River in the Ashanti region.

The deceased include the driver of the private Opel salon car, her two female children and two other passengers; a plumber and a female teacher of Akropong Roman Catholic Basic School.

The woman behind the steering wheel of the Opel saloon car is yet to be identified. But eyewitnesses say the car plunged into the river which had overflown its banks after recent rains.

A rescue team, including personnel from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Fire Service and Police spend hours to retrieve the bodies from the river, Tuesday morning.

With the help of local divers, the lifeless bodies were retrieved as by-standers broke down in tears.

The children were dressed in their school uniforms, an indication they were on their way to school.

Owabi drowning www.adomonline.com
A large crowd besieged the banks of the Owabi River

Presiding Member of Atwima Nwabiagya North District Assembly, Francis Bobie-Ansah, who witnessed the incident, described the accident as unfortunate.

He tells Nhyira FM circumstances leading to the accident and the drowning of the deceased remain unclear.

Mr. Bobie-Ansah is however certain the overflown banks of the Owabi River may have contributed to the accident.

The bodies of the deceased persons have been deposited at the morgue for preservation whilst police investigations continue.