The Kaneshie Police Station had earlier confirmed five deaths, but the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey confirmed the death of seven people in a flood that sent panic to most households in the affected community.
The dead included a two-year-old baby girl whose body was found floating close to the Central Mosque at Abossey Okai, a couple and a middle-aged woman.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the death toll may rise after the rain which started at about 8.00pm and lasted till about 10.00pm, sweeping away a 22-seater Mercedes Benz 207 bus at the First Light end of the Kaneshie-Odorkor Highway.
According to a Ghana News Agency (GNA) report, the Greater Accra Regional Administration said the intensity of the Friday night rainfall, had caused flooding in some low-lying areas within the Accra Metropolis, resulting in some deaths.
It said the areas included Sakaman, Mataheko, Kaneshie and Mallam, adding that seven lives had been confirmed lost by the Police.
This paper also learnt that around midnight, the police started retrieving dead bodies from the flood water at Kaneshie and Abossey Okai, in which areas the flooding was intense. The police were however tight-lipped about the number of people who died as they were still carrying out mopping exercises around the affected areas.
Four of the deaths occurred around the Abbosey Okai and Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle, while the fifth person was electrocuted at a place behind the Kaneshie-Takoradi station.
Property, including vehicle spare parts worth several millions of Ghana Cedis, was destroyed.
Unexpectedly, the downpour destroyed parts of the Kaneshie highway, from the First Light end of the highway to the Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle, scraping the asphalted road. The rains also damaged pavements and some filling stations located in the area especially the GOIL filing station at Abossey Okai where the pumps were said to have been severed off.
According to a policeman who spoke to DAILY GUIDE, the lightning and thunder which struck could have carried some magnetic force, hitting the highway and thus removing some of the asphalt. As at 10.00am yesterday, some contractors were on the highway busily trying to reconstruct the damaged road.
Since Saturday, a huge vehicular traffic jam has been created on that stretch of the road - from the Odorkor end of the road to the Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle - forcing motorists to use other alternative routes. It might even be worse from today if the damaged highway is not reconstructed early since the number of motorists from the western and north-western parts of Accra is so huge at this time.
The floods also swept away a number of cars on the highway leading to motor accidents and serious traffic jams. Some of the vehicles were abandoned by their owners, who walked to safety in the rising volume of water which some people said reached 5 feet. Surprisingly, water-prone areas such as Mallam, parts of Awoshie and Sakaman were not affected.
Households were also not left out as the flood entered most houses closer to the roadside at Abossey Okai, Kaneshie and Kaneshie First Light area.
Most spare part and other shops located at Abossey Okai and Kaneshie Market area were also severely affected as the rains destroyed some equipment and materials. As at yesterday afternoon when this paper visited the area again, some shop owners were still seen cleaning their shops and throwing away damaged materials.
It is believed that refuse and garbage mostly thrown into gutters had choked the gutters, thus preventing the water from moving.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Meteorological Services Department has announced more severe rainfall in the ensuing months. The department says last Friday evening's rainfall was not heavy as compared to the ones yet to come.
In a related development, James Owusu-Amoah, Chief Disaster Control Officer at the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has disclosed that the rains have reached their peak in the southern parts of the country.
Quoting the Ghana Meteorological Services Agency, he said the ground is soggy and any further rains may cause serious runoffs that may lead to flooding.
Serious flooding, he disclosed, has been reported in Kpong, and now Accra.
NADMO warned Ghanaians, especially those living in flood-prone areas in Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Enchi, and Cape Coast to relocate to higher grounds.
In case of emergency, people are encouraged to call NADMO Headquarters in Accra on 021772926, Ashanti Region 0244202878 and Western Region 024495 6548.
By Charles Nixon Yeboah
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