What sounded like a general advice by the Kumasi Mayor to families of three students who drowned over the weekend at the Sofoline interchange is rather tipping the anger of the bereaved. Samuel Sarpong had joined a delegation of the Ashanti Regional Security Council to sympathize with relatives of the victims who fell and died in a water-filled pit. His attempt to point out lessons from the tragedy landed him in trouble. While blaming the contractors for failing to put up warning signs to alert the public, he implored parents to provide adequate protection for their children to avoid a recurrence. The Mayor’s statement however, attracted public criticism, especially from the bereaved families who threatened to leave the ceremony. The father of one of the deceased children, Kwadwo Sakyi and his wife, vehemently protested Mr. Sarpong’s comment. Later in an interview, the Kumasi Mayor who was surprised at the families' stand told Nhyira FM’s Ohemeng Tawiah he meant no harm by his comments. According to Mr. Sarpong, it was a general advice to parents and not intended to hurt the bereaved families. “Parents should make sure that they are always close to their children because at the end of the day if your child goes out and doesn’t come to the house for quite a long time, this should be a concern to them (parents)”. “These were some of the issues that I raised and it's not a question of blaming them for what has happened. I am a parent, how can I ...,” he explained.