Hot SourceA tragic boat accident on the Volta Lake near Kete Krachi in the Oti Region has claimed 15 lives, the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has confirmed.
The incident, which occurred at about 1:30pm on Saturday, 11 October 2025, involved a small passenger boat travelling from Okuma to Bovime in the Krachi West District after a funeral. Preliminary information suggests that the boat was overloaded beyond its safe capacity before it capsized mid-journey.
According to the GMA, 11 of the victims were children aged between two and 14 years, five boys and six girls. The remaining four were adults, three women and one man, aged between 18 and 64. Four other adults survived the disaster.
Twelve bodies have been deposited at the Kete Krachi and Worawora Government Hospital mortuaries, while three of the deceased children have already been buried by their families.
Describing the tragedy as an “unacceptable breach of safety standards”, the Ghana Maritime Authority says it has dispatched a specialised investigative team, including maritime safety inspectors and personnel from the Navy Task Force in Dambai, to the crash site.
A high-level Casualty Investigations Committee is also being constituted in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport to conduct a comprehensive inquiry and recommend urgent enforcement measures to prevent future occurrences on the Volta Lake and other inland waterways.
As part of immediate response actions, the GMA has announced a lakeside safety enforcement operation targeting vessels operating without proper permits, boats exceeding passenger limits and operators who fail to provide or enforce the use of life jackets. Boats found in violation of safety regulations will be seized and operators prosecuted, the Authority has warned.
In a statement, the GMA extended its condolences to families affected by what it describes as a national heartbreak, especially given the number of children involved. It called on residents in lakeside communities to remain vigilant and refuse to board overloaded or unsafe boats.
“The sheer number of young lives cut short leaves an indelible pain on the heart of the nation,” the statement said.
The Authority reiterated its commitment to enforcing safe water transport and urged community leaders and the public to act as “custodians of safety” to help save lives on the Volta Lake.
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