A tragic incident has struck residents of Gbenyiri in the Savannah Region as a boat carrying scores of people fleeing renewed conflict capsized on the White Volta while attempting to cross into neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire for safety.
According to eyewitness accounts, the boat, which was heavily loaded with men, women, and children escaping violence in their community, overturned mid-river on Thursday morning. Rescuers managed to save only six people, while many others remain unaccounted for and are feared to have drowned.
Local authorities and volunteers have since launched frantic search-and-rescue operations, though strong river currents and limited resources have hampered efforts. Families left behind have been seen in distress along the riverbanks, anxiously waiting for news of missing relatives.
Community leaders describe the tragedy as “heartbreaking,” stressing that the residents had no choice but to flee due to escalating clashes that have plagued Gbenyiri and surrounding areas in recent weeks. The communal violence, which has left homes burned and livelihoods destroyed, has forced hundreds to abandon their ancestral lands in search of safety.
Security analysts warn that the humanitarian situation in the area is deteriorating, with displaced persons resorting to dangerous escape routes due to fear of further attacks.
Officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ghana Police Service have been deployed to the scene, while talks are ongoing with local chiefs and opinion leaders to restore calm in the troubled community.
The Savannah Regional Security Council (REGSEC) is expected to issue an official statement soon, while humanitarian agencies are being called upon to provide emergency relief for the displaced.
As search teams continue to comb the waters of the White Volta, families of the missing remain gripped with fear and uncertainty, praying for more survivors to be found.
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