Funeral canopy kills footballer

A NORMAL Sunday morning football game, usually played among the youth of Nyankyerenease near Kumasi, turned disastrous on Sunday, February 19, 2023.

This was after one of the players got electrocuted even before the start of the game, which the youth in the community uses to exercise their bodies and also have fun.

The deceased person, identified as Samuel Boateng, aged 33, tried to dismantle a set of mounted canopy that had been used for a funeral service on the same park he and his friends were to play the soccer game.
His intention was to clear off the canopy from the park to pave way for the day’s game but sadly he got electrocuted.

According to reports, whilst Boateng was lifting the canopy, the edge of the canopy touched a high-tension electricity pole nearby, which electrocuted him (Boateng) and shocked one other person who was assisting him.

Boateng and the other person, who has since been identified as Ahmed Oppong, aged 27 years old, were rushed to the hospital but Boateng was sadly declared dead.

The police rushed to the scene after being informed about the disaster, which has sparked scenes and anger in Nyenkyerenease and its environs.

“Police visited the scene at the Nyankyerenease school field and preliminary investigation revealed that the Nyankyerenease school field was used for a funeral on 18/02/2023 and the canopies rented from Palace Services were left on the school park to be used on 19/02/23.

“The youth including Ahmed Ampong and deceased Samuel Boateng, decided to relocate the canopies to the edge of the field to have enough space for the football match.

“Whilst lifting one of the canopies the edge touched a high-tension electricity pole nearby which electrocuted two of them.

“They were rushed to hospital but Samuel Boateng died whilst on admission”, the police report, which as been seen by THE NEW PUBLISHER said.

According to the police, the body of Boateng has since been deposited at the mortuary in the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi for preservation and autopsy, ahead of burial.

Ahmed Ampong was, however, responding to treatment in the hospital when this story was being filed.

In a related development, the youth of Nyenkyerenease got incensed after learning of Boateng’s demise so they threatened to burn the canopies but they were stopped in their tracks by the police.