Five-Year-Old Girl Drowns in Uncovered Manhole in Winneba, Firefighters Recover Body
- A five-year-old girl fell into an uncovered, water-filled manhole at Ansaful near Christ Apostolic Church in Winneba on Thursday, September 3, 2026
- The Ghana National Fire Service dispatched a four-member rescue team to the scene after the victim's father reported the incident at the Winneba Fire Station
- Firefighters worked for over 30 minutes at the approximately 12-foot-deep manhole before making the recovery of the remains
PAY ATTENTION: Mark YEN.com.gh as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
A five-year-old girl lost her life after falling into an uncovered, water-filled manhole at Ansaful, a community near the Christ Apostolic Church in Winneba, on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
Source: UGC
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) shared the tragic incident in a Facebook post on Sunday, September 6, 2026, detailing that the child's father, Francis Zewu, walked into the Winneba Fire Station at approximately 7:57 p.m. to report the emergency.
Firefighters rushed to the scene
The Municipal Command wasted no time, deploying a four-member rescue team led by STNO I Anthony McCarthy.
The team set off at 8:16 p.m. and reached the scene within roughly 16 minutes, arriving at about 8:32 p.m.
Upon arrival, firefighters found a gathering of family members and church members standing around the manhole, which measured approximately 12 feet deep and had been left uncovered and filled with water.
The rescue team immediately began working to retrieve the child, using a water pump to aid the operation. After about 34 minutes of sustained effort, firefighters recovered the lifeless body of the young girl from the manhole.
Her body was subsequently handed over to the Police, who were present at the scene, for further action.
The incident has raised urgent questions about the safety of uncovered manholes in residential communities, particularly in areas accessible to young children.
The Facebook post below has the video from the Ghana National Fire Service.
20-year-old man drowned while helping travellers
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a 20-year-old man 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 the 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.
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Source: YEN.com.gh
