The Assembly Member for the Abofo Electoral Area in Alogboshie, Greater Accra, James Akogo, has confirmed the recovery of another body following the devastating June 29 floods, bringing the community’s death toll to nine.
Parts of Alogboshie and other communities in the Greater Accra Region were severely affected by flooding after hours of heavy rainfall on June 29.
The disaster submerged homes and businesses, displaced residents and swept away several people.
Speaking to JoyNews, Mr Akogo said the latest body was recovered on Wednesday, July 15, but was badly decomposed, making it difficult to immediately determine the victim’s identity and sex.
“We have discovered another body today after the June 29 floods. The body is in a very bad state, so I can’t even tell whether it is male or female,” he said.
He added that personnel from the Ghana Police Service assisted in transporting the body to the morgue for preservation and identification.
Mr Akogo commended the government and the Member of Parliament for the area for deploying military personnel to support the dredging of the Odaw drain after the disaster.
“I want to thank our Member of Parliament and the government for bringing in the military to dredge the Odaw drain,” he stated.
According to the Assembly Member, 16 people were initially reported missing in Alogboshie following the floods.
“Sixteen people were recorded missing. Eight bodies had already been recovered, and with the latest discovery, the number of people confirmed dead has risen to nine,” he said.
Mr Akogo described the incident as the worst disaster he has witnessed in his lifetime, expressing sadness over the scale of the loss.
“I was born and bred here, and I have never experienced anything like this before. It is very painful,” he said.
He said the emotional impact of the tragedy has been overwhelming, making it difficult for him to visit affected families.
“I can’t even move from house to house to see the faces of the affected people because I feel so bad. Sixteen people missing and nine dead is not something anyone wants to write about,” he added.
Beyond the loss of lives, Mr Akogo said the floods caused extensive damage to homes and property in the community.
He also revealed that some residents have nicknamed him the “mortuary man” because of his involvement in assisting with the recovery and transportation of bodies.
“My people now call me the ‘mortuary man’ because I have been helping to carry the bodies to the morgue. After that, the families have to come and identify their loved ones. It has been very difficult for all of us,” he said.
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