Two separate accidents in Yapei in the Savannah Region and the capital Accra have claimed thirteen lives.
Whereas the Accra accident, which occurred close to the Tesano Police Station yesterday morning, claimed two lives, the one near Yapei took eleven in the evening of Tuesday.
The Yapei accident was caused by a head-on collision and the Accra one occurred when a minibus drove into a stationary broken down articulated truck without any warning sign.
Yapei Accident
The accident took place when two vehicles from opposite directions collided at Alipe, near Yapei in the Central Gonja District, at about 7pm on Tuesday, along the Tamale to Kumasi Highway.
This portion of the highway has claimed many lives between last year and now.
The deceased were made up of nine male adults, one female adult and one little girl and the driver of a Toyota mini bus, all of them dying on the spot.
Five persons who sustained various injuries in the accident were treated at the Yapei Health Centre, according to a police report, but later conveyed by ambulance to the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
The remains of the dead are also being preserved for autopsy at the same facility.
According to the police, the driver of a DAF tipper truck with registration number NR 578 F loaded with sand was heading to Tamale from Yapei when the Toyota minibus with registration number AS 2872-20 and 18 passengers onboard heading Tamale to Kumasi crossed its lane.
The driver of the minibus, identified as Akonsi Sumaila, was among the dead.
Efforts are being made to tow the accident vehicles to the Police Station for further investigation.
Tesano Accident
The Tesano accident, which took place yesterday dawn and claimed two lives, was occasioned by a minibus driving into a stationary articulated truck.
The victims were later identified as the driver of the passenger bus and a female passenger.
The bodies have been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue pending identification.
The Tesano Unit MTTD Commander DSP/Mr. Francis Aboagye Nyarko, who was at the scene with his men after the accident, said the driver in charge of the long trailer, with registration number TG 115-BA, identified as Adams Rabiu, 43, has been arrested and is in police custody.
He said the accident occurred at about 4:30am yesterday.
“Our investigations revealed that the trailer which was loaded with onions from one of our neighbouring countries broke down twenty minutes before the accident occurred,” DSP Nyarko said.
DSP Nyarko said the driver in charge of the Hyundai Grace with registration Number GS 5366 had loaded passengers from Takorasi near Kade in the Eastern Region to Accra.
He said upon reaching the Tsikata Traffic light area, the driver drove into the broken down trailer.
“Two persons including the driver and a female passenger who was seated at the front seat were severely injured and when they were rushed to the Police, Hospital, they were pronounced dead on arrival,” he added.
DSP Nyarko said that six other passengers also sustained injuries and were rushed to Achimota, Police Hospital and Korle- Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment.
He said the police are yet to inform the relatives of the driver, who is believed to hail from Takorasi.
He debunked claims that the long truck broke down on the stretch of the road since Tuesday, adding that the station has a towing truck that often moves along the road to tow broken down vehicles.
BY Eric Kombat & Linda Tenyah-Ayettey