Another gory accident has claimed the lives of 31 people, with 28 burned beyond recognition.
The tragedy struck close to an area at Kintampo in the Bono East Region, where similar road carnage claimed the lives of more than 55 on the spot last year.
The current accident, which occurred at Dawadawa near Golumpe Kintampo on the Kumasi-Tamale highway, burst into flames following a head-on collision between two passenger buses.
Reports said by the time the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) arrived at the scene almost everyone was dead except six survivors who are currently receiving treatment.
Drivers Dead
According to police reports, the drivers of the two vehicles both lost their lives.
It took the intervention of personnel of the GNFS and the police to sort out the ensuing mess at the scene.
Police Version
According to the Kintampo Divisional Police Commander, ACP Joseph Antwi Gyawu, a Grand Bird Yutong bus with registration GT 5059-17 was travelling from Bawku towards Kumasi with a lot of green pepper and only 12 passengers on board when it veered off its lane and collided head-on with a Mercedes Benz Sprinter with registration number AS 1801-18 also from Kumasi heading towards Tamale.
The ensuing impact was so great that both vehicles were engulfed in fire immediately, thereby claiming the lives of all the passengers on board the Mercedes Benz bus, with their remains beyond recognition.
6 Survivors
There were six survivors on the Grand Bird bus who were rushed to the Kintampo Municipal Hospital where they are receiving treatment.
Six persons, according to the police, died in the Grand Bird bus.
Among the dead on the Grand Bird was a police officer said to be stationed at Suhum but whose details were not available at the time of composing this report.
Police suspect careless and inconsiderate driving as being the cause of the accident.
Dozing Off
According to the Divisional Commander, their preliminary report is showing that one of the drivers drove carelessly, as he dozed off behind the steering wheel.
Six persons, however, survived but some sustained serious injuries and had been admitted to the same hospital.
Varying Figures
The Bono East Regional Minister, Kofi Amoakohene, led a team to visit the accident scene and the injured at hospital and sympathized with the bereaved families.
The minister later told Accra-based ‘Starr FM’ that “per the briefing I have, 35 lives have been lost; 27 burnt beyond recognition; six injured and in critical condition. One escaped with a scratch. Our preliminary suspicion is that one of the vehicles had a can loaded with extra fuel. That aggravated the extent of the blaze during the accident.”
Similar Accident
On March 22, 2019, almost a year ago, more than 50 persons perished in a head-on collision involving two passenger buses at Amomoa-Nkwanta on the Techiman to Kintampo stretch of the major highway.
News about the ghastly accident soon went viral on social media and the sheer number of casualties sparked another round of heated debate over road safety in the country as is currently happening.
The two passenger buses involved in the fatal collision at the time were an ANKAI VVIP bus with registration GT39116-17 and a Kia Grand Bird bus with registration GT5694-18.
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.
danielyaodayee@yahoo.com
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Kintampo