The owner of a boat that capsized on the Volta River last Sunday has been arrested.

He was arrested, Tuesday at about 3:00pm shortly after a District Security Council Meeting.

The man known as TT Gbedeho is expected to be charged with negligence after 16 bodies were retrieved from the Volta Lake in a search operation lasting three days.

The tragic disaster happened as the overloaded boat moved from Nantwekope to Yeji in the Brong Ahafo region. Six children and almost an entire nuclear family were part of the casualties.

Shortly after the disaster, the boat owner dared the police to arrest him.  “The police can come and arrest me. I am here they should come and arrest me” he told Joy News Kwakye Afreh Nuamah.

The police have since arrested him and have begun further investigations into the circumstances surrounding the disaster.

Unconfirmed reports say there were at least 70 passengers on his boat when it capsized 45 minutes into the journey. 

The cause of many boat disasters on the Volta lake is the lax in safety regulations and weak commitment to enforcement. It is common to see boats crammed with passengers making the journey.

Early in May, a canoe meant for five, carried at least 15 people, capsized on the Volta lake leaving four dead. The four include a family of three.

Passengers often reject the use of life jackets explaining that it is uncomfortable. They are also afraid  of contracting skin diseases from the unkempt jackets.