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A 17-year-old student of Nkwanta Senior High School in the Oti Region has drowned after attempting to cross the collapsed Gyelen Bridge in the Bontibor farming community on Monday, August 17, 2025.
The bridge, constructed just a year ago, was destroyed by heavy rains, cutting off the community from markets and essential services. Residents had previously complained about the substandard materials used in the project, but their concerns went unheeded.
Frank Yeboah, Assembly Member for the Bontibor/Salifukrom Electoral Area, blamed the tragedy on poor construction and negligence by the contractor. He stressed that farmers, pregnant women, the sick, and schoolchildren remain stranded, calling on government agencies to urgently build a new bridge.
The deceased, a second-year student, was the grandson of Nana Obirikiti Amanado, Paramount Chief of the Ntrubo North Traditional Area. The chief expressed shock at the incident, lamenting that repeated appeals over the past 13 months for the bridge to be fixed had been ignored.
He urged President John Dramani Mahama’s government to take immediate action, warning that lives—particularly of women and children—remain at risk. He also highlighted the poor state of roads linking Brewaniase, Pusupu, Bontibor, and Salifu-Krom, which continues to endanger livelihoods in the area.
