Committee to look into Bunso canopy walkway disaster

Eastern Region Minister Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere has inaugurated a five-member committee to investigate circumstances that led to the collapse of a canopy walkway at the Bunso Arboretum in the East Akyem municipality of the Region.

The committee has two weeks to complete its investigations into the collapse,which led to the injury of over 20 holidaymakers on Wednesday, July 1 during the 55th Republic Day anniversary.

Inaugurating the committee on Monday, July 6, Mr Sekyere told the members that they were carefully selected based on their expertise.

Deputy Eastern Regional Police Commander James Abass Abaah is the Chairman of the committee with Sarpong Boakye Yiadom of the Regional Coordinating Council as secretary.

Other members are the Regional Fire Officer, ACFO P.K. Donkor, Alfred Agyemang of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and Bertha Appeynarh of the Ghana Tourism Board.

The regional minister outlined the committee’s terms of reference as delving into the causes of the accident, ensuring that operations and safety measures are put in place for the facility, making recommendations for the safe use of the facility and any other issue of interests on the public use of the facility.

He assured the public that the work of the committee will not in any way interfere in ongoing investigations of the police.

The chairman of the committee was thankful to the minister for the trust reposed in them and promised that they would do their best for the people of the Region and the country as a whole.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) said safety and security measures in tourism facilities should not be taken lightly, insisting that whatever happened that day was a blot on the industry.

Mr Sekyere has since ordered the closure of the facility.