Agona Nyakrom, (C/R) June 23, GNA - Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, Central Regional Minister, has toured flooded areas in the Agona Swedru and Agona Nyakrom areas to sympathize with the affected victims. Most communities of those areas got flooded and 11 persons lost their lives following the heavy downpour, last Sunday. Briefing the Regional Minister with her entourage, at Agona Nyakrom, on behalf of the Omanhene of the Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area, the Abusuapanyin of Nyakrom, Nana Kobina Atta, said four citizens of Nyakrom died.

He said seven passengers on an Agona Swedru-Breman Asikuma bound bus also got drowned when their vehicle was submerged. Nana Atta said about 800 people had been displaced, whilst over 50 houses were destroyed by the rains at Nyakrom.

Nana Atta, therefore, made a passionate appeal to President John Evans Atta Mills, through the Regional Minister, to as a matter of urgency, go to the aid of the displaced persons and resettle them. Nana Atta called on the Minister to investigate how land developers were able to obtain permits to put up buildings on waterways and other unauthorized areas.

He urged the Minister to ensure that those buildings were demolished to avoid the recurrence of the situation because the government could not continue to spend heavily on flood victims because of the negligence of some officers.

The Regional Minister with her entourage later visited flooded areas at Agona Swedru, where she sympathized with victims in the worst affected area of Sabon Zongo.

They visited some of the victims currently putting up at the Swedru Town Hall and later paid a courtesy call on Nana Kobina Botwe II, Swedruhene, for more information about the situation.

The Minister had earlier inspected the two broken bridges on River Akora, which pass through the town, before the arrival of the President John Evans Atta Mills, later in the evening. Mrs Doe gave the assurance that the government would do its best to resettle the displaced people and expressed her condolence to the bereaved families.