By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Anloga (VR), Dec. 19, GNA – A tragic incident struck Anloga Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Basic school in the Volta Region on Wednesday, December 17, when a swarm of bees invaded the school compound, leaving one student dead and three others in critical condition.
The chaos according to sources began, when students were playing football and the ball got stuck in a tree, and in an attempt to dislodge it, they threw a stone, which unintentionally disturbed a bee nest unknowingly resulting in the attack.
Mr Thywill Deynu, the Headteacher of the school disclosed that the bee attack heavily affected many students and teachers, especially the KG pupils, who were unable to flee the swarm.
“Four students were critically hurt and were rushed to the Keta Municipal Hospital for emergency treatment, while a seven‑year‑old girl was pronounced dead on arrival,” he said.
The Headteacher described the situation as devastating and worrying one, and expressed deep sorrow about the loss of a promising young child.
He commended the teachers for their quick efforts to save majority of the children during the emergency and described the deceased child, as a vulnerable or special child who could not run or protect herself during the incident and suffered severe injuries that resulted in the death.
“We quickly alerted the Fire Service personnel from Anloga district and they arrived promptly to control the bee swarm and secured the scene,” he said.
He said the school had a population of over 400 students with majority of them being affected by the swarm, while preparations were also underway for the Christmas vacation scheduled for Thursday, December 18.
The parents of the deceased child who later declined to speak to the Ghana News Agency due to the disturbing situation urged the public to respect and protect the privacy of the child as well as that of the family during the difficult moment.
Some parents, teachers and pupils GNA engaged were deeply devastated about the incident and urged the authorities to urgently address the problem of bees invading situations in the school compound.
The body of the deceased child had been deposited at the Keta Municipal Hospital mortuary for further examination and autopsy while the injured pupils, who were under nine- years were also receiving medical treatment at the same Hospital, with their conditions being closely monitored by health officials.
GNA also gathered from some of the parents that the school authorities and the Ghana Education Service were reviewing various safety measures to prevent any future bee‑related incidents and protect students on the school.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo