21 Confirmed Dead In Accra-Kumasi Highway Accident

Twenty-one people have been confirmed dead with 11 others seriously injured in a gory accident involving three cars on the Accra-Kumasi highway. The accident which occurred on Sunday around 6pm near Bompata in the Asante Akyem South district occurred when a Mercedes Benz with registration number AS 6534-13 collided head on with an Urvan bus with registration number GW4679-13. Nine of the injured have been admitted at the Juaso government hospital while the other two have been referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi. The Mercedes bus was said to be travelling at high speed and collided head on with the urvan bus after overtaking a number of vehicles. On impact, the two vehicles spinned into the lane of an oncoming Coaster bus belonging to the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research of the University of Ghana. There was however no injuries to occupants of the Coaster except for some dent to the front of the bus. Before personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Police Service arrived at the scene, residents of the town had mobilised and were helping to rescue those trapped in the mangled cars. Traffic on the road came to a standstill as a result of the accident and it took the police some time to clear the road to free traffic. The Ashanti regional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent Peter Gyimah who confirmed the accident to the Daily Graphic, said in an attempt to avoid running into other cars on his lane, the driver of the bus identified as Alhassan Naijer, moved into the lane of the Urvan bus and in the process collided with it. He said the police were yet to identify the victims and gave the number of the perished as 13 females including a three month-old baby and eight males. He was of the view that if police personnel were maintained on the road, �this accident could have been avoided as the police presence alone prevent drivers from indulging in some of these unnecessary overtaking.� Chief Supt. Gyimah advised drivers to be wary of the weather and to be cautious on the road.