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The Western Regional office of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described the accident involving some members of the Western Regional Press Corps at Beaho on Monday as unfortunate.

According to the Regional NPP, the accident could have been avoided.

The journalists were returning from President John Mahama’s commissioning of a new community Senior High School at Bamiankor in the region when the accident occurred.

The NPP could not fathom why a whole region’s press would be left out in the preparations for a presidential visit.

It was the Regional Communications Officer of the party, Phamous Tumi, who was alleged to have rented a vehicle for the journalists, which was driven by an inexperienced driver who did not know how to drive in a convoy.

“This shows how government and its aides disrespect and disregard the press,” the Regional NPP indicated.

The NPP noted that the Western Regional Coordinating Council could have released one of its vehicles for the press to avert the situation.

“Rather, those cars were released to party functionaries at the expense of the lives of those who were going to promote the event for the good people of Ghana,” the party said.

This was contained in a press statement issued and signed by the NPP Regional Communications Director, Okatakyie Amankwa Afrifa.

He admitted that journalists were confronted with lots of challenges in the course of discharging their duties.

It is therefore up to institutions, organisations or individuals who invite journalists to cover their programmes to provide pressmen with the needed assistance, he added.

“These journalists who were involved in the accident were on duty. It is however very shocking to know that nobody is saying anything to soothe their pains.

“It was also shocking to realise that a presidential staffer had gone on social media to disown these gallant media men and had even insulted some media houses for reporting the accident.

“This should not come from a presidential aide of an ‘I care for you government’. We are therefore calling on the gallant pressmen in the Western Region not to relent on their oars in discharging their duties..,” he said.

Okatakyie Afrifa noted that an NPP government under Nana Akufo-Addo would respect and care for journalists, adding, “we understand and know what journalism and media relations are.”

No fatalities were recorded in the accident but some of the journalists were said to have sustained varying degrees of injury.

A Citi FM correspondent, Obrepong Yaw, whose injury appeared to be quite serious, was rushed to the hospital.

Some staff of Citi FM in Accra yesterday visited Obrepong who is currently on admission at the Kwesimintsim hospital.