Veep consoles families of the 18, who died at Kintampo waterfalls

By Regina Benneh/Dennis Peprah, GNA
Kintampo, (B/A), March 20, GNA - The Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Monday expressed government's condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the 18 people who died in a tragic incident which happened at the Kintampo Waterfalls over the weekend.

The Vice President assured the bereaved families that the government would support and give the deceased befitting burial, when he visited the family of one of the deceased Agartha Asantewaa Frimpong, an 18 year- old student at Kintampo.

Describing the incident as a tragic shock to the nation, Dr Bawumia entreated the families of the deceased, as well as the chiefs and people of Kintampo to remain calm, and allowed the security agencies to investigate the matter.

The Vice President, who was in a black smock and black trousers and his entourage, also visited the Kintampo Waterfalls and the Kintampo Municipal Hospital to assess the situation.

Dr Bawumia was accompanied by Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, the Minister of National Security, Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior and Madam Catherine Ablema Afeku, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.

Madam Afeku, who had earlier held a close door discussion with the Kintampo Municipal Co-ordinating Director Mr Siegfried Kwame Addo said the waterfalls would not be closed down because of the calamity.

She explained that the government would put in place security measures at the waterfalls and other tourist attraction sites in the country for the safety of the tourists and visitors.

Eighteen people including 14 students died last Sunday, March 29 in a tragic incident which happened at the Kintampo Waterfalls.

They were among a number of others who were swimming in the waterfalls when a heavy storm uprooted some trees, which fell on them during a downpour.

GNA