Miracle Escape: 13-Year-Old Survivor Shares Heartbreaking Account of Weija Boat Tragedy

Enyonam Ekpe, the sole survivor of the tragic Weija drowning incident, has shared her harrowing escape from death while eight others tragically lost their lives.

On May 10, 2023, the residents of Weija Gbawe municipality in Accra were plunged into mourning due to the death of eight school students who drowned when their boat capsized in the Wiaboman river.

In an interview with JoyNews on Thursday, 13-year-old Enyonam recounted the incident and revealed that the tragedy could have been prevented if the canoeist had listened to her advice.

According to Enyonam, there was a shortage of canoe riders on that fateful day at 5:40 pm, so she and some other children decided to use the service of a young paddler.

Before boarding the canoe, she informed the paddler that the boat could not safely accommodate the number of people who wanted to travel.

"I told him that there are a lot of people in the boat so he has to let some get down and take them later," she said.

However, the young paddler, whose identity remains unknown, disregarded her suggestion and started the journey.

Everything seemed fine until a moment when things took a tragic turn. Enyonam, traumatized by the incident, couldn't recall exactly when the canoe lost balance and capsized. All she remembered was that she lost her grip on her brother, who was with her on the journey.

While the others were unable to stay afloat and tragically drowned, Enyonam managed to hold onto a part of the boat until she was rescued by a kind-hearted individual.

Currently, the bodies of the deceased children have been recovered, except for one whose whereabouts remain unknown. Rescue efforts are underway to find the missing person.

Sadly, this is not the first time this year that school children have lost their lives while pursuing education under distressing circumstances.

In January, eight students from the Atikagome Community in the Sene East District of the Bono East Region drowned in the Volta Lake while on their way to school.


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