Regional News of Friday, 24 June 2011

Source: GNA

Eight year old Boy drowns in manhole

Dormaa-Ahenkro (B/A), June 24, GNA - One of two boys who fell into separate uncovered man-holes in Dormaa municipality has died while the othe= r was rescued. The body of Frank Antwi, aged 8, was found last Monday floating in a pool of water collected in the man-hole near an unoccupied house on Schaefe= r Street, Dormaa-Ahenkro.

The discovery of the deceased's body followed radio announcements ab= out Frank's sudden disappearance from home last Saturday night after he had attended a 93wake-keeping" of a radio presenter at Dormaa-Ahenkro. The acting Municipal Fire Officer, Mr. Kingsley Attuah, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Dormaa-Ahenkro that his office was alerted on Monday after the deceased's body was spotted floating in the uncovered man-hole. Frank's body has since been buried after post-mortem, whilst police continues with investigations the cause of death.

In the case of Opoku, aged five, he was playing with some friends when he suddenly slipped and fell into a 20-feet deep man-hole near their house at Kofiasua, near Dormaa-Ahenkro.

His screams for help attracted the attention of his mother, who rushed to the spot and raised the alarm leading to his rescue by personnel of Dormaa municipal fire station. The incidence of landlords leaving man-holes uncovered near their bath-houses and places of convenience in Dormaa-Ahenkro and its environs ha= s been on the increase despite attempts at halting the practice including the prosecution of culprits by the Municipal Environmental Health Office.