A joint search-and-rescue operation has been activated along the banks of the River Bobie Fum at Assin Dansame in the Assin North District of the Central Region, following a catastrophic canoe capsize that has left a 49-year-old farmer missing for nearly 48 hours.

The missing farmer, identified as Mr Isaac Buckman, was among five passengers tossed into the fast-flowing, rain-swollen river when their wooden canoe overturned on Thursday morning.

The Assin North District Police Command, led personally by Superintendent Eric Yao Avudzivi, has partnered with traditional leaders, local fetish priests, and experienced local divers from the twin communities of Assin Dansame and Assin Praso to retrieve the farmer, dead or alive.

The harrowing incident unfolded at approximately 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 28, 2026. The five victims, including a young woman believed to be in her early 20s, were returning from their respective farms situated across the river. They were using a standard dugout canoe, which serves as the primary mode of transit for hundreds of rural folks in the enclave.

According to investigative briefs, the river had swollen significantly, creating fierce undercurrents due to weeks of continuous torrential rains across the Central Region.

The Assembly Member for the Assin Dansame Electoral Area, Mark Nti Ballack, explained that three of the passengers hailed from Assin Praso, while the remaining two, including the missing farmer, resided in Assin Dansame.

Disaster struck midway through the crossing. Reports indicate that as the canoe struggled against the rushing water, one of the passengers panicked. Sensing imminent danger, the passenger suddenly jumped out of the vessel into the river.

The abrupt shift in weight caused the canoe to completely lose its balance and capsize instantly, dumping all five occupants into the deep, turbulent waters.

An emergency rescue team consisting of brave local youth and a standby police detachment rushed to the riverside upon hearing the distant screams of the drowning victims.

Through sheer bravery, the swimmers managed to pull four of the passengers out of the river alive, treating them for shock and minor water inhalation. Unfortunately, Mr Isaac Buckman was swept away by the heavy currents before the rescuers could reach him.

The intensive search operation was reluctantly suspended late Thursday evening due to zero visibility and failing light, which endangered the lives of the divers. The operation resumed in full force on Friday morning after initial efforts to find his body proved unsuccessful.

The latest accident has sparked deep anger and worry among community leaders, who revealed that this marks the third canoe-related disaster recorded on the volatile River Bobie Fum within a single year. Three lives were already lost in previous separate incidents on the same stretch.

Speaking in interviews with Citi FM, visible opinion leaders voiced their frustration over the state's failure to provide safe transport infrastructure, describing the daily canoe crossings as a continuous, deadly gamble forced upon both peasant farmers and schoolchildren trying to access basic education.

Superintendent Avudzivi has assured the family that the police will remain on-site until the search is concluded. Meanwhile, traditional authorities are preparing to perform customary rituals along the riverbank, hoping to appease the river deity and locate their missing kinsman.