15, mostly children, dead after boat capsizes in Ghana’s Lake Volta

Accra: Fifteen people, including 11 children, were killed when a boat capsized on Lake Volta in northeastern Ghana, maritime authorities said on Sunday.

The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) said in a statement that “tragically, 11 of the deceased were children between the ages of two and 14 years (five males and six females)” in the accident that occurred on Saturday in the Krachi West District of the Oti Region.

The victims, aged between two and 64, were travelling from Okuma to Bovime when the vessel overturned. Four adults survived the incident.

Describing the tragedy as “a critical and unacceptable breach of safety standards,” the authority said preliminary findings indicated that the boat had been overloaded.

A specialised team, including naval personnel, has been deployed to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The GMA said it would establish a high-level investigation committee in coordination with the transport ministry and launch a “sustained lakeside safety enforcement operation” to ensure compliance with passenger limits and mandatory life jacket use.

Boat accidents are common on Lake Volta, often due to overloading or collisions with submerged tree stumps. In August, six passengers died in a similar mishap, while 18 people were killed in May 2023 when their boat struck a submerged tree stump.

The GMA said it “remains resolute in unravelling the root causes of this disaster and implementing measures to ensure that no such tragedy ever occurs again.”