A collapsed bridge at Bugri, a suburb of Tempane in the Tempane District of the Upper East Region, has claimed the lives of a woman and her two-month-old baby who were attempting to cross the bridge on a motorbike.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday, August 23, 2026, brings to three the number of people who have died while attempting to cross the bridge.
Last month, a young man also lost his life while attempting to cross the same bridge, which had been flooded by torrential rains.
The latest incident has renewed anger among residents, who have criticised what they described as the “snail’s-pace” approach of the Tempane District Assembly in taking proactive measures to rehabilitate the collapsed bridge and facilitate the smooth movement of people, goods and services.
Speaking to The Ghanaian Times, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Tempane, Mr Joseph Mbilla, confirmed the incident, saying the deceased woman was carrying her two children on a motorbike when she attempted to cross the “life-threatening” bridge.
According to Mr Mbilla, the woman crashed into the bridge, resulting in the deaths of herself and her youngest child, while the older child survived.
“It is unfortunate we lost a productive young woman. This bridge caused the death of a young man who was going back to Bawku from Tempane last month. This is the second time people have lost their lives at the Bugri Bridge, with the death toll standing at three as of now,” the DCE disclosed.
Responding to calls for the assembly to find a lasting solution to the situation, Mr Mbilla said the assembly had previously blocked access to the bridge, but some road users had defied the directive and reopened it for use.
He said following Sunday’s incident, the assembly had again moved to block the bridge temporarily, while a contract had been awarded to create a temporary passage for road users.
Mr Mbilla added that plans were also underway to construct a permanent bridge when the rains subsided.
“We want the road users to steer clear of using that bridge until the contractor finishes fixing it,” he advised pedestrians, motorists and other road users.
The deceased have since been buried.
FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, TEMPANE
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