Tragedy struck a family of 14 yesterday when they all perished in a motor accident.
The gory accident happened at the Anyinam stretch of the highway in the Eastern Region on Thursday night.
The family members were said to be travelling from the Ashanti Region to attend a funeral at Boadua, near Akwatia in the Eastern Region, when the Sprinter Benz bus with registration number GN 3699-14, collided with a cargo truck.
A police source told DAILY GUIDE that the bus, carrying the 14 people and being driven by a 25-year-old man called James Akwetey, attempted to overtake another vehicle with registration number GT 546-U, and in the process rammed the oncoming cargo truck.
Eastern Region Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Police Service, ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, later confirmed to DAILY GUIDE that the Sprinter set off from Asante Akim Juaso and apart from the passengers, there were loads of foodstuff on board.
According to the police officer, a Benz bus, which was overtaken by the Sprinter, was being driven by a 36-year-old man called Eric Agyei.
He said the Man Diesel cargo truck, with registration number WR 5783-C, driven by Adams Issah, 35, with his mate on board, was loaded with maize and was heading towards the Kumasi direction.
“On reaching a section of the road at the outskirts of Anyinam township right in front of Wapco filing station, the Sprinter driver suddenly lost control of the steering wheel and veered into the opposite lane. In the process, the vehicle collided with the Man Diesel truck,” the police spokesperson narrated.
He confirmed that “All 14 occupants of the Sprinter bus died on the spot. They included seven female adults, two male adults and five infants.”
ASP Tetteh revealed that all three vehicles were badly damaged, adding that nine occupants of the Benz bus and two occupants of the cargo truck, including the drivers, sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the Enyiresi Hospital, Kibi Government Hospital and the Koforidua Regional Hospital for treatment.
The bodies of the deceased were conveyed and deposited at the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital for identification, preservation and autopsy.
From Daniel Bampoe, Akyem – Anyinam