Over 8,000 Rescued By Ghanaian Navy Following Dam Overflow

Ghanaian authorities on Tuesday deployed its navy and other teams to a mission to rescue thousands of people affected by the spillage of excess water from some of the major dams amid heavy rains.

Africa Today News, New York understands that no fewer than 8,000 people have so far been rescued in the Volta region after heavy flooding caused by the overflow of Akosombo and Kpong hydro-electric dams.

A navy official told local media that they had ‘evacuated over 8,000 flood-stricken people to safe havens’.

Commodore EA Kwafo said they were also responding to distress calls as well as keeping watch on critical infrastructure.

He said they had taken ‘more boats downstream and experienced divers and lifesavers to assist in the rescue efforts’ and more resources would be made available depending on the situation.

Read Also: Pandemonium As 40 Die In India Glacial Lake Flood

The ‘controlled spillage’ of the dams began about a month ago and is still ongoing, the Volta River Authority said.

It says the flooding has created a humanitarian challenge downstream in several communities in parts of the Volta, Eastern and Greater Accra regions.

At least 12,000 people are reported to have been displaced by the floods so far.

In another report, no fewer than 40 people have been confirmed dead following a glacial lake burst that triggered a torrential flash flood in India, Africa Today News, New York has learnt.

Violent torrents stuck the remote state of Sikkim earlier in the week after the sudden bursting of a high-altitude glacial lake in neighbouring Nepal.

Climate scientists warn that similar disasters will become an increasing danger across the Himalayas as global temperatures rise and ice melts.

Downstream search-and-rescue teams recovered more bodies overnight as the waters cut a swathe through the countryside towards the Bay of Bengal.

Africa Today News, New York

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