Over 120 passengers seeking to cross River Oti at Dambai in the Oti Region are currently stranded due to a faulty pontoon. All attempts to get relevant state authorities to respond to the concerns of the stranded passengers have proven futile.
The incident which happened in the early hours of Thursday January 2, 2020 has is causing a lot of disaffection to the passengers as they appear restless and confused at the scene.
Ghananewsonline.com.gh has reliably gathered that sometime ago, one of the engines of the pontoon broke down at the bank of the river leaving only one the other engine to function under severe pressure.
“There have never been any attempt to repair the broken engine,” one of the regular passengers on the stretch confided in us.
Due to the pressure on the remaining engine, it also got broken down in the middle of the river on Thursday after successfully doing the first crossing in the morning.
An eyewitness, Mr Derrick Opare told this reporter in a telephone interview that “The authorities have not come to their aid since yesterday when the incident happened, not even the security services”.
This network has however gathered that there is another pontoon from Akosombo which is currently on its way to help the stranded passengers.
Speaking through Opare, some of the stranded passengers are pleading with the government and other relevant authorities to help construct a bridge over the river to ensure their safety when crossing to Dambai.
Source: Dzifa Jerrina Fiagbedzi || ghananewsonline.com.gh
