TWO PERSONS believed to be employees of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) yesterday reportedly drowned in a sewerage pumping station at the Fishing Harbour at Tema while they were undertaking repair works.

They were said to have been electrocuted in the manhole since electric cables ran through the place.

The deceased were named as Alhaji Seidu and E.M. Ashietey by fire officers stationed at the Tema Regional National Fire Service.

Two others, Mark Gambila, a 45-year-old seaman and another man only known as Coffie, were rescuing the deceased persons when they themselves got into trouble.

They were rescued by some persons who heard their shouts for help.

They were said to have been rushed to the GPHA Clinic in Tema.

According to information gathered by DAILY GUIDE Alhaji Seidu, the first person to enter the pumping station, was reportedly rushed to the clinic in an unconscious state but died on arrival.

Eyewitnesses said it took the firemen about four to five hours to be able to pump the large volume of water from the pumping station before being able to retrieve the body of Ashietey from the bottom.

The body of the deceased persons were said to have been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue in Accra awaiting autopsy.

Divisional Fire Officer Timothy Osarfo-Affum, Tema Regional Fire Service Public Relations Officer, told DAILY GUIDE that his outfit was informed by some persons that some employees of GPHA working at the pumping station got drowned while repairing a faulty equipment.

The fire service PRO said when the fire personnel got to the pumping station, a large crowd had gathered at the location and were informed that one of the equipment at the pumping station had developed a fault and while repairs were being undertaken, water suddenly started gushing from one of the pipes at the portion where they were working.

Mr Osarfo-Affum stated that the gushing water might have come into contact with a bare electrical cable which had some power in it which according to him might have electrocuted the two.

When DAILY GUIDE visited Mark Gambila, a friend to Seidu on his sick bed at the Tema Port Clinic, he confirmed the incident and narrated that he was around the spot when he got the hint that Seidu and some other men were trapped in a hole at the pumping station.

According to him, he got suffocated and fell unconscious when he attempted to rescue Ashietey who had earlier tried rescuing Seidu.

Even though he could not tell what exactly resulted in his collapsing, he said that it might be due to the heat in the hole combined with the strong smell emitting from the manhole where the GPHA employees were earlier working.

“I wanted to save a guy (Ashietey) who had earlier made attempts to save my dear friend Alhaji Seidu. I quickly held his hand when I went into the room with the view that I will be able to pull him out and to tell you the truth, I cannot remember what exactly happened next. I only woke up to realize that I was brought here for treatment,” Gambila said.

He cried uncontrollably when word got to him that Seidu did not survive.