The Minority in Parliament has charged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to provide financial aid to victims of the Kintampo accident which claimed 18 lives.

In a press statement released on Monday, March 20 to sympathise with the affected families, the Minority indicated: “It is our hope and expectation that government will assist in offering financial assistance to the injured to help them defray their medical expenses as was the practice when the NDC held political power.”

According to them, it was time government explored options for insurance cover for all the tourist sites in the country.

“Perhaps, after 60 years of independence as a nation, we may now want to consider providing insurance cover for all our recognised tourist sites,” the statement added.

The legislators also emphasised the need for full-scale investigations to unravel the cause of the accident.

The dead, together with some 22 others who are seriously injured, were swimming at the base of the Kintampo Waterfall when a tree fell on them following an earlier rainstorm in the area. The incident is said to have happened on Sunday March 19 at about 4:30pm.

Fifteen of the deceased are from the Wenchi Methodist Senior High School and three from the University of Energy and Natural Resources.

The Minority was of the view that a safety assessment be carried out across all tourist sites in the country and necessary measures implemented to curb future occurrence of fatal accidents.

Below is the full statement:

STATEMENT BY MINORITY OF GHANA’S PARLIAMENT ON THE KINTAMPO WATERFALLS DISASTER

The NDC Minority in Parliament expresses our deepest commiserations with the relations and loved ones of Sunday’s tragedy that occurred at the Kintampo Waterfalls in the Brong Ahafo Region.

We join the nation in praying for the scores injured and for the souls of the 18 departed.

The Minority wishes to commend rescuers including the team from the Ghana National Fire Service and medical staff of Kintampo Municipal Hospital for their timely interventions.

It is most disturbing that this calamity comes at a time the nation is yet to recover from other recent fatalities caused by a surge in motor accidents and suicide cases.

While we grieve, we wish to urge all Ghanaians including journalists to be circumspect in how images from these tragedies are reported and transmitted especially on social media. We ought to be reminded of the dignity of the victims and the sensitivities of their families.

The Minority will like to urge Government to diligently carry out full scale investigations into the Kintampo Waterfalls incident and make the findings public. Additionally, it has become necessary to reassure the Ghanaian populace and to forestall any similar future occurrence by carrying out an immediate safety audit of all tourist destinations with the view of guaranteeing the safety of revellers while also ensuring that Ghana’s international tourism brand is not made to suffer because of this incident which has attracted immense global media coverage.

It is our hope and expectation that Government will assist in offering financial assistance to the injured to help them defray their medical expenses as was the practice when the NDC held political power. Perhaps, after 60 years of independence as a nation, we may now want to consider providing insurance cover for all our recognised tourist sites.

We trust that we can all work together to improve upon the safety and security of all living in Ghana.

Signed, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu (Minority Leader)