In a tragic incident that occurred at Gomoa Okyereko in the Central Region of Ghana, fifteen persons lost their lives and several others sustained severe injuries following a head-on collision between a fuel tanker and a long vehicle bus.
According to eyewitness accounts, the fuel tanker driver was sleeping whilst driving and missed his lane, leading to the unfortunate accident.
The fuel tanker with registration number WR 2063-10 was heading towards Takoradi when it collided with the long vehicle bus heading to Accra, in the early hours of the morning, around 5:30 am.
The accident reportedly happened in a dangerous spot which had been identified by some eyewitnesses who tried to alert the tanker driver to avert the tragedy, but their attempts were unsuccessful.
“We saw the tanker driver sleeping whilst driving around 5:30 am this morning. We tried to stop him because he was heading towards a danger zone but he did not recognize us,” an eyewitness taxi driver recounted.
The collision reportedly took the lives of fifteen passengers immediately, with one other person trapped inside their vehicle. Fire officers were immediately dispatched to the scene and they worked tirelessly to remove the trapped passenger, but the individual was already dead. Furthermore, twenty-five other passengers on the bus suffered severe injuries and are currently receiving treatment at various hospitals.
The passengers on the bus were mainly Liberians, and many families and loved ones have been left devastated by the tragic loss of lives. Investigations into the incident have already commenced, with the authorities looking to uncover all the possible factors that may have contributed to the disaster.
By Daniel Bampoe