The family of 12-year-old Khalil Mel is appealing to the Ghana Police Service and other relevant authorities for assistance in retrieving the body of their son, who is feared to have drowned during the heavy downpour on Thursday, June 26, at Lomnava in Accra.
Khalil is reported to have slipped into a flooded drain while trying to retrieve his footwear during the rains.
His father, Meldec Mel, who was indoors at the time, said he only learned of the incident from bystanders who saw the boy being swept away but were powerless to rescue him due to the force of the floodwaters.
“His friend came around after school to report to me that he had been carried away by the rain, and I haven’t heard from him after the report,” Mr. Mel recounted in an interview with Citi News on Friday, June 27.
He also expressed frustration over a delay in lodging a formal complaint with the police. “The police said we can only make a report after 24 hours after we went to the police,” he said.
Despite the family’s efforts, Khalil’s body has not yet been recovered.