Kumasi floods: Woman 50, drowns after wooden footbridge collapses at Oforikrom as New Kejetia Market flooded [Video]

A 50-year-old woman, who has been identified as Akosua Dufie, has been confirmed dead after she was washed away by a flood following Thursday evening’s downpour at Anloga in the Oforikrom Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

According to eyewitnesses who spoke to OTECNEWS’ reporter Kwame Agyenim Boateng, the deceased, together with one other person, attempted to cross a weak wooden footbridge in the area, but unfortunately got drowned after the bridge collapsed.

They said efforts to rescue the woman proved futile.

“The rains started around 5:30 pm yesterday [Thursday], and the whole place was flooded, but people were using the [weak] bridge. The woman also got here and when she saw others using the bridge, she also joined. About four people went ahead while she followed them together with a young man. When they got to the middle of the bridge, it broke, and they fell into the water. They were all able to get out of the water, except one woman who couldn’t make it,” an eyewitness said.

Another eyewitness said one of the young guys tried to rescue the 50-year-old woman, but because of the weight of the woman and the strong current of the rushing water, he was unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, the ground floor of the New Kumasi Kejetia Market has been flooded by Thursday’s heavy downpour.

The four-hour rains flooded the traders’ shops and destroyed their wares.

The transport terminals of the market were also flooded.

The administration block of the market was not spared either, as the control room, manager’s office, among others, were submerged.

The cleaners of the market had to spend several hours sweeping out water to restore the market to normalcy.

Some of the affected traders, who expressed unhappiness with the situation, said their wares worth hundreds of Ghana cedis were destroyed by the flood.

They appealed to the government and the National Disaster Management Organisation to come to their aid.

Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com