The facility was closed down for months, after a disaster at the venue killed about 20 people and injured 20 others.

Responding to questions in Parliament, the Sector Minister, Catherine Afeku, said: “Mr. Speaker, it is anticipated that work will be finalized by reopening this great fall on the 1^st of September 2017, all things being equal.”

Publish full details on Kintampo Waterfalls disaster

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Public Safety (BPS), wants the Tourism Ministry to publish the full details of its Safety Audit Report on the disaster.

[contextly_sidebar id=”jo0C6cGHQsbbHmArVvSQyVEJ2RNnyClX”]Catherine Afeku revealed on the floor parliament on Tuesday that, the Safety Audit team assessing  the incident listed poor supervision and the dereliction of public safety responsibilities, among others, as contributors to the tragedy.

Speaking to Citi News on the Safety Audit assessment, the Executive Director of the Public Safety, Davidson Akwada, said the report if made public, will create the awareness on the need to enforce safety regulations at tourist sites.

“We are asking the Minister to shift the paradigm and make this report public so that we can all look at what happened on that day and understand what should be done and what should not be done.”

Invisible Forces didn’t seize Kintampo Waterfalls 

Meanwhile, Madam Afeku has denied the seizure of the Kintampo Waterfalls by the Pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) vigilante group, Invisible Forces, in the moments leading to the tragedy.

The Chief of Kyeremankoma, had alleged that tour guides at the waterfall were sacked by some supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), few months after the party came into office.

The Minister on Tuesday stated that the Municipal Assembly was firmly in control of the facility contrary to reports that the vigilante group had taken over the site without the requisite expertise to manage the facility.

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By: Marian Ansah & Felicia Osei /citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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The Gold Coast park said it hoped the reopening would begin the “healing process” and that all entry proceeds would go to the Australian Red Cross.

A sister and brother, and the brother’s partner, were among the dead.

The four died when their raft on the Thunder River Rapids ride collided with another raft and flipped over.

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the park said it would host a “Memorial Day” on Friday, with doors opening at 11:00 (01:00 GMT).

It said: “We hope this will be considered the start of the healing process for all concerned.

“From the Memorial Day, activities will be limited to smaller rides, animal attractions, and the water park.”

All entry proceeds will go to the Red Cross, which has been helping the affected families.

The owner of the park, Ardent Leisure Group, also revealed that the ride in question had completed its annual safety inspection, carried out by a “specialist external engineering firm”, on 29 September.

The victims have been named as Kate Goodchild, 32, her brother Luke Dorsett, 35, Mr Dorsett’s partner, Roozbeh Araghi, 38, and Cindy Low, a 42-year-old New Zealand citizen who lived in Sydney.

A 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, who media say were related to the victims, were also on the raft. They were thrown free and survived.

Queensland assistant police commissioner Brian Codd said it was “almost a miracle that anybody came out of that”, adding: “If we’re going to be thankful for anything, I’m thankful for that.”

Visitors have been laying floral tributes to the victims at the gates of the park, some 50km (30 miles) south of Brisbane.

Kim Dorsett, the mother of Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett, told the Courier-Mail newspaper: “I have three children and have lost two of them today – my whole family has been wiped out.”

Ms Low was visiting the theme park with her two children and her husband, local media said.

She decided to separate from her daughter and husband and ride in another raft with her son and four strangers.

The Thunder River Rapids ride opened in 1986. Dreamworld says it allows visitors to “travel down a foamy water track” in circular rafts.

The Australian Workers Union said it had raised “grave concerns” about safety on rides at the park more than a year ago, though not about the river rapids ride specifically.

Forensic police are reviewing CCTV footage and investigating the scene. They will submit a report to the state coroner alongside workplace safety authorities and the coroner will decide if any charges should be filed.

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Source: BBC

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