Apam: Burial service for drowned teens to be held today

A burial service will be held today for 12 of the teenagers who drowned in the sea at Apam on March 7.

After the service, the bodies will be released to the individual families for burial.

The Gomoa West Security Council had initially considered a mass burial.

The Gomoa Akyemepim Traditional Council on Monday performed rituals to appease the gods of the land ahead of the burial.

One cow, three sheep,12 fowls, 33 tubers of yam, and three cartons of schnapps were offered to the gods by a traditional priest to appease them.

There are fears the teenagers defied the laws of the land by swimming at a place that is the preserve of the gods.

The burial service was originally scheduled for Thursday, March 11 but had to be postponed for the rituals to be performed by the community leaders.

The deceased were aged between 13 and 18 years.

There were three survivors from the incident who received treatment at the St Luke Catholic Hospital in Apam.

Police indicated that while the teens were swimming, a heavy tidal wave overwhelmed them leading to the tragedy over a week ago.

Earlier reports suggested that over 20 teens may have drowned in the incident, but 13 bodies have recovered so far.

One of the victims was buried earlier because the recovered body was badly decomposed.