A violent rainstorm has killed a nine-year-old girl and rendered approximately 700 residents homeless in the Nframa community in the Bono East Region, in one of the most devastating weather incidents to hit the area in recent memory.
The tragedy struck on Friday, March 28, 2026, when a powerful storm with high winds and heavy rainfall tore through the community, destroying homes and displacing hundreds of families without warning.
The child who died has been identified as Celestine, a primary school pupil who had returned from school earlier that afternoon. Her mother told reporters that Celestine was sleeping inside the family home with her younger sister when the structure began to collapse under the force of the storm. Celestine did not survive. Her younger sister’s condition was not immediately confirmed.
The scale of destruction across Nframa was extensive, with dozens of homes reduced to rubble or left uninhabitable by the winds. Families were seen gathering what remained of their belongings in the aftermath, with many spending Friday night in the open or in the homes of neighbours in surrounding communities.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) was alerted to the disaster and officials were expected to assess the damage and coordinate relief. No official figure for the number of homes destroyed had been released by Friday evening, but community members estimated that the approximately 700 displaced residents represented a significant portion of Nframa’s population.
The incident is the second major weather-related disaster to strike the Bono East Region in recent weeks, following a rainstorm in February that left scores homeless across several communities including the Atebubu-Amantin District. Authorities have repeatedly warned residents in flood-prone and low-lying areas across the region to relocate ahead of the rainy season, warnings that have met with limited compliance due to a lack of alternative housing options.
The family of nine-year-old Celestine was yet to receive formal support from authorities as of Saturday morning. Her community was calling for urgent government intervention.
