20-Year-Old Man Drowns While Helping Travellers Cross River at Ghana-Togo Border River

• Kombat Yaw Yiremiah, 20, drowned in a river separating Ghana and Togo at Tambalug in the Upper East Region on Sunday morning
• The young man was reportedly helping travellers cross the border river when the incident occurred around 10:30 a.m.
• NADMO personnel, family members and community residents launched a search but had not recovered the body by Monday afternoon

A 20-year-old man has drowned in the river marking the border between Ghana and Togo at Tambalug in the Tempane District of the Upper East Region, with his body yet to be recovered more than a day after the incident.

Kombat Yaw Yiremiah was reported missing after the drowning occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, 16 August 2026. By the close of day on Monday, 17 August 2026, search efforts involving community members, relatives and personnel from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) had not yielded results.

How the drowning happened

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According to Yiremiah's family, the young man regularly helped travellers navigate the border river as part of a routine activity he carried out alongside colleagues.

Those he assisted included Togolese nationals as well as people travelling from Kumasi, Accra, Bolgatanga and Tamale who needed to cross into or out of Togo. He was engaged in that same activity when he drowned on Sunday morning.

The Tempane District Director of NADMO, George Alale Akuka, confirmed that his team had been active in the search, covering a considerable stretch of the river without success.

"So myself and my team, we are still on the ground searching for him," Akuka said, describing the situation as serious.

Traditional consultation joins search efforts

Beyond the physical search, Akuka disclosed that the community had resorted to traditional methods to assist with locating the body. Community members consulted individuals known for helping recover victims in similar past incidents.

The NADMO director said the team had received guidance on a direction to focus the search.

"They consulted the one who used to consult the gods before they see the victim, so they get the direction, and we are confident that in about a few hours from now, we will get him," Akuka said, while stressing that his team would remain deployed and continue monitoring the situation on the ground.

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Family and community call for support

The family and residents of Tambalug have appealed to the Ghana Police Service and NADMO to deploy professional rescue personnel and appropriate equipment to assist in the recovery operation, citing the challenging conditions along the river.

The incident has left both the immediate family and the wider community in a state of grief, compounded by the fact that Yiremiah lost his life while performing an act of service for others. His family continues to wait anxiously for his body to be found and brought home.

Source: YEN.com.gh