The Sunyani Zongo community has been left in shock and mourning following the tragic death of a three-year-old boy who drowned after falling into a gutter during a heavy downpour on Saturday, May 17.
The deceased, identified as Ismaeli Ibrahim, reportedly slipped into a storm drain between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., shortly after torrential rains lashed the Sunyani Municipality.
The rains were accompanied by a violent storm that caused significant flooding in the area.
According to Mr. Abdul Ikad Issah, the Assembly Member for the Zongo Electoral Area, Ismaeli had been playing with a friend when one of their slippers fell into the waterlogged gutter.
In an attempt to retrieve it, the young boy, unaware that the gutter was concealed by floodwaters, fell in and was swept away by the fast-moving current.
“Some bystanders saw what happened and tried to rescue him,” Mr. Issah told the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
“Unfortunately, the water carried him away through the storm drain.”
His lifeless body was later found around the Angola enclave near the Sunyani main garage. He was rushed to the Sunyani Teaching Hospital, where medical personnel confirmed his death on arrival.
The devastated family was granted permission by police to proceed with burial rites in line with Islamic customs after obtaining a medical report.
The incident has renewed residents’ concern about the dangers of uncovered and poorly maintained drainage systems, particularly during the rainy season.
Many are calling on local authorities to take urgent steps to improve flood safety in the area.
