7 Bodies In Odaw And Kasoa

Policemen yesterday retrieved the remains of more of the close to a dozen persons who drowned in last Wednesday�s Accra flood, proving the point that the exact figure of those who lost their lives in the unusual deluge is yet to be known. A yet-to-be-identified corpse discovered close to Graphic Communications office, in the midst of an assortment of household waste, attracted a crowd. The report came at the time that five people were confirmed dead at Kasoa in the Central region while another body was recovered at Circle in Accra. Earlier, eight people were reported dead on Wednesday after the Tuesday downpour. Workers of the Bus Rapid project on the Graphic road were said to have spotted the corpse and called the attention of the relevant authorities, hence the arrival of the police at the scene. The waste left by the ebbing flood pointed at the magnitude of reckless human activity which is considered one of the causes of the flood in Accra. Policemen at the scene would not talk to media persons who posed questions. They said only their superiors could talk on the subject. The discovery compelled many to conclude that there could be more persons trapped in the debris and sand on the banks of the Odaw drain towards the sea. From the Kasoa area in the Central Region, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) officials confirmed that five deaths had so far been recorded after the floods. DAILY GUIDE has learnt that on Wednesday, three persons, a three-year-old baby, and a thirteen-year-old and a pregnant woman trapped in her room around the Krispol City, were rescued by a combined team of fire fighters from the Weija and Gomoa Budumburam supported by some fishermen. On Thursday morning, a dead body believed to be that of a certain Emmanuel Kofi Frimpong, a trotro driver�s mate said to hail from Agona Nkum but staying in Kasoa, was found along the Okrudu stream. On Friday morning, the remains of a man believed to be in his late 30s, was found along the banks of the same stream. The two corpses have been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue where some of the victims of the flood have been deposited. Even in the face of the seriousness of the deaths resulting from the floods, there was drama when the Ga South Assembly and the Kasoa Urban Council quarrelled over the ownership of Emmanuel Kofi Frimpong�s body. Before the disagreement over the ownership of the corpse, Kofi Frimpong was said to have been seen chasing a goat during the downpour and drowned eventually. The NADMO Coordinator for the Awutu Senya area, Charles Koomson, when he received a call about the discovery of the body of the deceased, rushed to the scene only to be challenged by residents of the Ga South Assembly, led by the assemblyman for Ngleshie Amanfrom, a man whose name was given as Zakari. Such disagreements are not new, having occurred in the past. During the recent population census, similar challenges took place, a development which prompted residents to ask for the intervention of the Ministry of Local Government and the Lands Commission. Various theories have been adduced for the cause of the flood which generally took Accra residents by surprise. In Alajo, one of the flood-prone parts of the city, a newly-constructed drainage system, could not protect residents against the angry flood water which robbed many of them off their valuables. The area did not experience any loss of life, though it compelled observers to question the quality of engineering of the major drainage by a Chinese company which runs across the area towards Odawna and eventually to the sea. Another theory attributed the flood to the Bus rapid project near Graphic which is said to be hindering the free flow of water when there is a downpour.