There are conflicting reports about the number of lives lost in late Tuesday’s boat disaster on the Volta Lake. The boat, said to have been ferrying more than 90 passengers from Abotoase in the Volta region to Kagbanya in the Brong Ahafo region, sunk after gush of water entered following a perforation by a tree stump. Though there are reports that as many as 35 five lives may have been lost, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sene in the Brong Ahafo Region, where the accident occurred, Dominic Napare said they can only confirm eighteen deaths. He said most of the casualties have been children. He credits locals in the area for the rescue efforts. Mr Napare said majority of the victims are children, “ranging from the ages of six months to six years.” He conceded that the local people who are doing the rescuing have no equipment to facilitate the rescue effort. Joy News’ Seth Kwame Boateng asked what efficient rescuing could be done without any equipment, to which the DCE responded, “That is the question. You see the Navi people are located at some specific centres and looking at the vast nature of the lake …you have to travel almost five to six miles before you get [to where the accident happened].” Meanwhile the country’s response readiness has been called into question. Two days after the accident, reports suggest officials of the Ghana Maritime Authority and the Ghana Navy are yet to get to the scene of the disaster as you may have heard from the Sene DCE. The head of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Peter Azuma acknowledges they are faced with serious challenges.