Graphic Online
BY: Gilbert Mawuli Agbey
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The otherwise quiet town of Apam was Tuesday throw into a sombre mood as hundreds of people, both young and old, put on black and red attire to mourn with the bereaved families of the 13 children who drowned in the sea in the town.
The deceased teenagers had, on Sunday, March 7, 2021, as part of their weekly Sunday special get-together, gone to the beach to swim. However, bad weather caused 20 of them to drown.
So far, 13 dead bodies have been retrieved, with only two survivors - Godfred Apratse, 14, and Simon Dadzie, 15.
The 13th body, which was retrieved last Friday, was buried on the same day, after some traditional rituals had been performed, due to the decomposed state of the body.
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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Gomoa West, Mr Richard Gyan-Mensah, has appealed to the media to refrain from carrying out negative reportage on the death of the teenagers who drowned at a beach in Apam on March 7, this year.
He said reports that the victims were engaged in social vices such as sex, drug abuse and smoking at the beach were not true, describing the incident as purely an accident.
He said the Apam beach had for years served as a playing ground for most kids in coastal areas in the area and, therefore, urged the media to respect the feelings of families and the communities who had been affected by the incident.
Two teenagers who survived the drowning disaster at Apam in the Central Region, which claimed the lives of 12 teenagers, say they are traumatized about the incident.
Simon Dadzie, 15, and Godfred Apratse, 14, said swimming had always been part of their leisure activities, but they never envisaged that it could result in such a tragedy.
“The unfortunate incident just happened in a flash and all that we could remember was that we entered the sea to swim but later opened our eyes and found ourselves in hospital receiving treatment,” they said.
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The two survivors were speaking in an interview with the media when the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, led a government delegation to commiserate with the bereaved families last Wednesday.
The 2020 Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang has visited the bereaved families of the about 20 teenagers who drowned at a Landing Beach in the area, last Sunday.
In addition to consoling the family members and the community, she also on behalf of former President John Mahama, donated Ghc13,000 towards the funeral and burial rites of the bereaved.
Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang was accompanied by members of the NDC’s Central regional Parliamentary Caucus, including; the Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, Hon Richard Gyan-Mensah together with other colleagues of the Central Regional MP’s Caucus such as Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, Hon. James Gyakye Quayeson, Hon. Abeiku Crentsil, Hon. David Vondee and Hon. Gizella Tetteh Agbotui.
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