The three workers of distressed West African Mills Company (WAMCO), a cocoa processing firm based in Takoradi, who died in a gory accident on the Cape Coast-Takoradi Highway at Komenda Sefwi, near Beposo on Thursday have been identified.
The accident occurred when a military ambulance with registration number 42GA57 from Accra and heading towards Takoradi reportedly collided with a Mercedes Sprinter bus with registration number ER 1219-14.
The deceased have been identified as Victor Essel Cudjoe, 39, a quality coordinating officer, Richard Koomson, an electrician and Charles Pinkrah, 61, a former laboratory technician.
All the three deaths occurred at the Central Regional Hospital in Cape Coast, and the bodies have since been deposited at the hospital’s morgue pending autopsy.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that two of the workers died when they were being transported to the hospital while one died later at the same health facility.
The deceased were among a group of 22 workers of the company who were travelling from Takoradi to Parliament House in Accra to listen to the Finance Minister Seth Terkper answer questions related to their company.
One Ababio, the chief engineer of the company, who suffered severe fractures on both legs, has been transferred from the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra for further treatment.
The other victims, numbering 15, are currently responding to treatment at the Central Regional Hospital and the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi.
The workers, who had not been paid for about 28 months, were travelling to the Parliament House to listen to the reasons why WAMCO had not been revived.
The Finance Minister was expected to answer a question filed by Member of Parliament (MP) for Takoradi, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah on the WAMCO matter on Thursday.
They were also to follow up on their petition to the government about their plight and whether or not assets of WAMCO were being sold as had been speculated.
Mr. Terkper however could not turn up in Parliament to answer questions related to WAMCO.
Eyewitnesses account had it that the accident happened at about 3:30 am on Thursday.
Parliament shocked
Parliament was shocked to hear the death of the three staff of WAMCO.
MP for Takoradi told Parliament that he was saddened by the accident, adding that the suffering workers had already petitioned Parliament and the four MPs in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis over the closure of the company and also made several attempts to meet the Finance Minister over their predicament but to no avail.
According to him, the workers therefore saw the questioning time, which pertained to their predicament, as an opportunity to listen to the minister and also urge him to talk about certain important issues concerning the company.
He said the leaders of the workers had called to indicate that they would travel to Parliament on Thursday, adding that he was expecting them only to be informed on phone early in the morning that they had been involved in an accident.
“Mr Speaker, one of the accident victims was my mate at the Biochemistry Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and I am personally shocked at the turn of events,” he said.
The Takoradi MP said government must revive the company to pay a befitting tribute to the dead and give hope to the workers.
He said it was important for government to do something urgently to lessen the plight of the workers and the company as well.
Deputy Majority leader, Alfred Agbesi and the Majority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, joined the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho to extend their condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured speedy recovery.
Unfortunately, the Minister of Finance, who said he was ill, could not appear before the House to answer the questions.
The speaker said that he personally spoke to the Minister who gave the assurance that he would be available next week to answer the questions.
Deputy Minority leader, Dominic Nitiwul, said that ministers must attach importance to questions filed by MPs.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi &Thomas Fosu Jnr