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Dozens feared dead as boat capsizes on Oti river

Majority of the people travelling on the said boat got drowned after the boat capsized, leaving them helpless in the middle of the river.

Dozens of people have reportedly drowned after a boat conveying them capsized on the Oti river near Chereponi in the Northern region.

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The Graphic Online reports that the victims are residents of nearby Kokomba and Chokosi communities who were fleeing to neighbouring Togo over the fear of reprisal attacks, following the communal violent clashes that broke last Friday.

The unfortunate capsizing of the boat is reported to have happened on Saturday, June 3, 2018 – a day after the clashes broke out.

A team from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) was subsequently dispatched to the location to help rescue the victims.

However, they were only able to rescue a few, with a large number of people getting drowned.

The Chereponi District Director of NADMO, Fambali Muntala, told the Graphic Online that they could not swiftly respond to the disaster due to the tensions in the area brought about by the clashes.

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On Friday, there were renewed clashes between the Konkomba and Chekosi ethnic groups, which led to two deaths and several injuries.

The Police has, however, arrested 13 persons for their involvement in the ethnic clashes.

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