Insider details of how thunderstorm 'took over' Afram River pontoon on pitch-dark night

On the evening of March 28, 2024, Accra-based Starr FM reported that a ferry on the Afram River had gone missing citing its Eastern Regional affiliate Agoo FM.

"Ferry goes missing on Afram River, reportedly with MP for Afram Plains South Joseph Appiah Boateng on board. The disappearance occurred following a severe thunderstorm at 7:30 pm Thursday, Agoo FM reports," they posted on social media.

The post was accompanied by a short video showing lots of cars parked on the pontoon that was destined for Adawso having taken off from Ekyi Amanfrom.

The accompanying commentary detailed how the ferry had been hit by a massive thunderstorm which displaced it to an unknown destination.

Below are some facts GhanaWeb gleaned from the narrative.

The pontoon was on the Afram river, around nine o'clock in the evening at the time of sharing the video.

It had taken off from Adawso around 5:30 to 6 pm.

Heavy winds and rains thwarted the pontoon from the landing site at Adawso just when it was about to anchor for disembarkation.

The pontoon currently uses one engine and experts switched it off for safety reasons which affected visibility.

"We can neither see Echi or Adawso, we are lost after the thunderstorm struck. Passengers have been removed to the lower deck," the narrator added.

He lamented that the pontoon spoilt weeks back and had received emergency care even as operators found stop-gap measures to allow it to be useful by way of transporting people and properties between the two points.

In an update on their Facebook page at about 9:45 pm on Friday, Agoo FM wrote: "The ferry that was reported missing has safely reached its destination, with no negative impact on passengers, vehicles, or goods."

They shared a video of the emotional disembarkation of passengers.

Watch the two videos below:





SARA