3 Co-wives, 5 children perish in canoe disaster - Maritime Authority insists life jackets use mandatory for all water transport

A man lost his mother, three wives and five children in a boat disaster on the Volta Lake. The nine were among 16 passengers onboard the small canoe on the Volta Lake near Mataiko in the East Gonja District in the Savannah Region. The passengers were travelling from Yeji to a local community, Congo, when the small wooden vessel capsized last Wednesday in stormy weather. Five males were rescued, while a search party was still ongoing to locate the remaining two.

The Savannah Regional Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP Richard Osei) indicated that the nine bodies were buried in accordance with Islamic tradition before the arrival of the police. The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has expressed grave concern over the incident, noting that none of the passengers was wearing a life jacket. The GMA strongly believes that the operator of the boat evaded designated departure points. The Director-General of GMA, Dr Kamal-Deen Ali (Naval Captain retd), said that preliminary findings suggest that the canoe did not depart from one of those approved locations, so "As a result, the vessel escaped safety inspections and supervision."

The GMA reiterated that the use of life jackets was mandatory for all water transport. Dr Ali said the authority's current safety regime was anchored on a Code of Operation, which required boat operators to ensure that all passengers wore life jackets and that vessels did not exceed their approved load capacity. Dr Ali stated that "While there are currently no direct legal sanctions against passengers who refuse to wear life jackets, boat operators are required to sign a formal undertaking committing them to comply with all maritime safety rules." The Director-General of GMA said the authority was now reviewing the legal framework to introduce tougher measures against operators and boat owners who ignored safety protocols or bypassed designated departure points.