The Upper West Regional branch of the National Road Safety Commission has blamed an increase in the number of persons killed from 54 in 2016 to 61 in 2017 through road accident on the closure of the Buipe-Yape bridges.

According to the Upper West Regional Director of the National Road Safety Commission Mohammed Abdul-Samad the increase occurred just within the 4 week period of the closure of the two bridges.

Vehicle and road users had to resort to the only route available; an already depleted Bole-Swla-Wa-Tumu road.

The Wa-Tumu- Bolga road has been one of the poorest inter-regional road in Ghana which various governments have attempted to fix.

The poor nature of the road caused several accidents resulting in the 12.96 per cent increase in the number of people killed as claimed by the National Road Safety Commission.

The Upper West Regional Director of the National Road Safety Commission Mohammed Abdul-Samad in an annual media briefing blamed the increase in the trend on the closure of the Yape and Buipe bridges.

The total number of cases reported in 2016 was reduced from 159 to 147 in 2017, 246 vehicles were involved in 2016 as against 221 in 2017, total number of pedestrian knocked down was again reduced from 30 in 2016 to 16 in 2017.

But unfortunately 2017 saw a 12.96 per cent increase in the number of fatal cases from 48 in 2016 as against 54 in 2016 dough the number of serious cases were reduced from 72 in 2016 to 53 in 2017, Number of minor cases were also increased from 39 in 2017 to 43 in 2017.

Total number of persons killed was increased from 54 in 2016 to 61 in 2017 which saw a total number of persons injured also up from 240 in 2016 to 276 in 2017 an increase of 15 per cent which the National Road Safety Commission claims it is as a result of the closure of the Buipe and Yape Bridges.