More than a hundred school-going children in the Sene East District have been stuck at home as traditional authorities purify waterways.

The purification comes after eight pupils lost their lives while crossing the Volta Lake in the course of the week.

The pupils who lost their lives were among 20 pupils onboard a boat crossing the lake from the Atikagome Community to Wayokope.

In an interview aired on Joy FMs Midday News on Friday, the District Chief Executive of Sene East, Jerome Kofi Gyimah, said islanders, including pupils, have been banned from crossing the lake until the rituals have been performed and the gods have been appeased.

“We are told that they are preparing to also purify the children so that they can actually go back to school. Actually, we are looking at next week or two weeks,” he added.

According to him, some teachers are still recovering from the shock of the drowning incident, so the authorities are speaking with them to try and calm them down.

Further touching on what might have caused the drowning, Mr Gyimah said “Later on we were told that a man passed on and it was not purified hence the repercussion that we find ourselves.”

Meanwhile, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has commiserated with the families of the eight pupils who drowned while crossing the Volta Lake from Atigagorme to school at Wayokape in the Sene East District in the Bono East Region.

“We wish to state that the GES is distraught by this unfortunate incident and assure the families of the necessary support,” a press release from the GES, signed by Madam Cassandra Twum Ampofo, Head of Public Relations, said.

According to the statement, the Director-General had already tasked the Regional and District Directors of Education to visit the families while preparations are ongoing to immediately provide counselling services to the School.

“Once again, we express our deepest condolences to the bereaved families,” the statement added.