A 60-year-old father and his son have drowned in the River Offin, after the canoe with which they were crossing the river capsized.

The man, who has been identified as Prince Adamu, Chief of the Mossi ethnic group in the town, was crossing the river with his two sons to work on their farm on Sunday.

One of the chief’s children, Haruna Adamu, 27, managed to swim to safety but he and his other son, Seidu Adamu, 20, drowned.

The survivor told Joy News’ Erastus Asare Donkor that the canoe capsized at Nnerebehi in the Atwima Nwabiagya district of Ashanti.

“We waited for our father to come so we will cross the river with the canoe to the other side. In the middle of our crossing, the canoe hit a tree stump and it started collecting water.

“We wanted to jump out into the river but my father warned us not too because that was the middle of the river which is very deep,” Haruna recounted.

He said the canoe sunk with him holding onto his younger brother who does not know how to swim.

According to him, his attempt to hold onto a stump failed and his drowning brother kept pulling him down so he let go of him.

“I had drunk a lot of water and I was feeling very weak so I had no option but to let go of him. Then I struggled to get on top of a floating wood. It was at that time that I saw my father moving far away from where we hit the stump.

“I asked him has he seen Seidu? He did not answer and before I realised he also started dipping into the river. That was the last I saw of him too,” Haruna said.

The family is waiting for police to give them the green light to bury the decomposing remains.