Two brothers have drowned in an abandoned quarry pit at Live Donorkope in the Akatsi South Municipality after attempting to rescue their younger brother.

The deceased were identified as Felix Dogbey, 18, a Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduate, and Christian Dogbey, 25, an employee of a food processing company at Asikuma.

The Akatsi South Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Daniel Gidi, told the Ghana News Agency that the incident occurred on May 15 at about 1600 hours.

He said the deceased, together with about nine relatives, had travelled to Live Donorkope for a funeral, where their mother resides, and later visited the abandoned quarry lake for recreation without the supervision of residents in the area.

Mr Gidi said the tragedy began when the brothers’ nine-year-old sibling, Eric Dogbey, started drowning in the water-filled quarry pit.

“Felix, after realising that their brother was calling for help, decided to rescue him but ended up drowning after rescuing his younger brother,” he said.

He added that Christian, sensing danger, also entered the water in an attempt to rescue Felix, but both brothers drowned in the process.

Mr Gidi disclosed that the abandoned quarry pit was estimated to be between 18 and 24 metres deep.

He said initial rescue efforts by local divers on Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16, proved unsuccessful.

According to him, officers from the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC) at Sogakope Nutekpor were later contacted to assist with rescue operations, but had to suspend efforts on Saturday evening due to poor visibility in the water.

“We called for help from the Navy officers, who decided to continue with rescue operations Sunday morning after experiencing poor visibility on Saturday evening inside the water,” he added.

The Akatsi South Municipal Chief Executive, Daniel Dagba, together with officials from NADMO and other stakeholders, visited the scene on Saturday to assess the situation.

The Assembly Member for the area, Moses Gadri, told the GNA that the deceased hailed from Akatsi Alagbokope but resided at Asikuma.

However, the bodies of the deceased were seen floating on Sunday morning before the arrival of the Navy officers.

Personnel from the Akatsi Police Command, who maintained order at the scene, later conveyed the bodies to the St. Paul’s Hospital morgue pending autopsy.

The incident has thrown the community into a state of shock and mourning.