An image of the galamsey pit or pond at Wassa Akropong
A 19-year-old boy whose name has been given as Owuraku met his untimely death after drowning in a pond at Wassa Akropong in the Western Region.
The incident happened on Sunday, June 19, 2022, when he went with his friends to swim in a galamsey pit they have often been swimming in.
According to one of his friends, Baba Issah, he and his friends were on their way to the usual pit to see the level of the water after the heavy rainfall on Saturday when they met Owuraku riding a bicycle but “he decided to follow us with his bike to the site”.
He explained that “when we got to the site, the water level had come up so we decided to swim, but since Owuraku did not know how to swim, we asked him not to go far. While we were swimming, I came out and started videoing. In the process of filming, I was communicating with another person so I was not focusing on the guys swimming. Suddenly I remembered that Owuraku doesn’t know how to swim, and started casting my eyes around if I could see him, but unfortunately I didn’t see him around.”
He then informed his friends who dived into the water with the aim of rescuing Owuraku but to no avail.
They went to town to inform community members who came to remove the lifeless body of the boy and handed him over to the police.
The body has been deposited at Wassa Akropong Government Hospital Morgue for autopsy.