Hundreds of vehicles leaving Bawku and entering Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region with passengers and goods had to return to their base following the flooding of the Kobore bridge over tributary of the White Volta in the Bawku West District.
Before the Police from Zebilla got to the scene and insisted that all passengers and vehicles should return to their bases, some passengers had risked their lives by swimming across the river.
At least 250 cattle are believed to have been washed away from their grazing fields along the river body.
It is equally believed that some persons.
Passengers who crossed over claimed they heard sounds like that of humans crying for help.
As at 4:00pm on Monday September 7, the Kobore bridge was still covered by large volume of water in the White Volta.
The Upper East Region has experienced continuous heavy down pour across the region resulting in many river bodies over flowing their banks. Prior the heavy down pours the White and Black Volta have had their levels risen following the spilling of the Bagre dam in Burkina-Faso.
Also the over flow of the Kopenga dam in the Republic of Togo has also contributed to the large volume of water entering the two main Volta tributaries passing through the Bawku West District and part of the Nabdam District.
Big trucks from neighbouring Burkina-Faso, Mali, Togo and Niger as well as those passing through the Bawku West District to the same countries have all been grounded and have been directed by the Police and National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to leave the area to safer grounds.
At the time of filing this report, areas within 500 meters from the Kobore Bridge had been covered by water and yet some passengers were insisting on swimming across.
In the coming days, if the rains in the Upper East Region continue, it is expected that many communities within 500 meters and over along the White and Black Volta will be affected and their livestock and food crops washed away.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Zebilla