Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
Government has pledged to foot the medical bills of victims of the recent accidents in the Bono East and Central Regions.
It also commiserated with victims and bereaved families of the about 70 persons who reportedly perished in the two ghastly accidents.
The deaths of about 60 people in the accident which occurred on the Amomoa-Nkwanta stretch of the Techiman-Kintampo highway in particular has sparked another round of heated debate over road safety in the country due to the high number of casualties involved.
There were a total of 108 passengers in both buses and the problem was compounded when one of the buses caught fire following the deadly crash.
The other gory accident at Ekumfi-Dunkwa near Mankessim on the Cape Coast-Accra highway also claimed at least eight lives on the same day.
Mass Burial
On Saturday, a mass burial was organised for victims of the Amomoa-Nkwanta crash, where five extra bodies were again recovered from the scene at Jema, near Kintampo.
The chief of Garu in the Upper East Region where the bus was travelling from to Kumasi was said to have given his blessing for the mass burial since some of the bodies could not even be identified.
In announcing government’s intention to foot the medical bills of the survivors yesterday, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said that “reducing road accidents in the country is a major priority for government.”
“This is the reason why agencies like the National Road Safety Commission and the Police MTTD continue to receive support from central government to address road safety issues and also tackle the major factors that contribute to road accidents in the country.”
According to the minister, “Government is also reviewing the road traffic regulations to address some implementation challenges, as well as incorporate innovations in the management of road transport services.”
“We must also scale up road safety education and sensitization to ensure compliance to road safety measures, procedures and policies.”
Last Friday, the country was hit with two deadly clashes which became the subject of even international media.
In the Kintampo accident, police report say the two passenger buses involved in the fatal collision were an ANKAI VVIP bus with registration GT39116-17 and a Kia Grand Bird bus with registration GT5694-18.
Preliminary report from the police says the ANKAI bus driven by 54-year-old Alexander Amoako Gyan was travelling from Garu in the Upper East Region to Kumasi while the Kia Grand Bird bus was heading towards Bolgatanga from Accra when the accident occurred.
There were a total of 108 passengers in both buses and the problem was compounded when one of the buses caught fire following the deadly crash.
As at Friday, the death toll stood at 55 while 53 passengers reportedly sustained severe injuries.
Police report says 35 of the 55 passengers who died were burnt beyond recognition while 20 had been identified.
In the second accident, which occurred along the Ekumfi-Winneba highway in the Central Region involving a Metro Mass Transit bus and Yutong bus, about eight persons reportedly died.
Soon after the accidents, President Akufo-Addo challenged the Police Council to speedily implement the recommendations of the inter-ministerial committee set up last year to propose ways to deal with carnage on the country’s roads.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife Samira also consoled the victims and bereaved families.
By Melvin Tarlue with additional files from Daniel Y. Dayee & Prince Fiifi Yorke, Kintampo