Five-year-old girl drowns on her birthday in Koforidua

A five-year-old girl, Richlove Addobea Haminu, reportedly drowned during a downpour in Koforidua on Tuesday.

The unfortunate event occurred in front of the child’s parental home near the Normal Technical School while her parents were away at work.

According to reports, the victim was celebrating her birthday on the day of the incident.

She was with her fourteen-year-old sibling, who was collecting rainwater for storage when the younger one allegedly slipped into the flowing water and was swept away.

A joint team comprising the Police, the National Disaster Management Organization, and family members and volunteers from the community promptly initiated efforts to rescue the young girl.

Despite their concerted efforts, the victim is yet to be located and retrieved.

The family home has become a gathering place for sympathizers, who are offering their condolences and support to the grieving family.

Magdalen Agyeiwaa, the mother of the victim, expressed profound sadness over the incident but remains hopeful for a positive outcome.

She narrated to Kasapa News, “Today is her birthday, so I promised to send her to KFC. So, I decided to go to town to get some money to take her to KFC. But when I got to Agatha market, the rains started. I later received a call from one of my mother-in-laws that my daughter had drowned. I was shocked because they don’t go out when it is raining. I rushed home to confirm the sad incident. She was not in the house alone. She was in the care of other siblings. They are five, and she is the fourth born.”

Among those extending their sympathies is Rosina Tetteh, a teacher at Grace Child Academy, where the victim was enrolled. Together with other sympathizers, she visited the family home to provide comfort and solace during this difficult time.