The police have confirmed the death of 13 persons in an accident after a VIP bus plunged into a ditch at Kwapia, near Obuasi, in the Ashanti Region.
The bus that was traveling from Obuasi to Enchi in the Western North Region, veered off the road and plunged into the ditch, killing the 13 passengers on the spot.
Several others, including two police personnel, who were on escort duties, suffered injuries in the incident that happened in the early hours of yesterday.
According to the police source at Obuasi Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), the deceased, were seven males, five females, including a three-year-old and a-month-old baby.
The source revealed that the driver, identified as Osei Adu, was rushed to the hospital, but died on arrival at the facility.
The police said that a female student at the Akrokeri College of Education was among those who passed on.
The bodies of all the victims have been deposited at the Obuasi Government Hospital while the injured have been taken to the AGA and St. Jude Hospitals for treatment.
The police said investigation into the accident has started and appealed to drivers to be more cautious in order to avoid accidents and fatalities on the roads.
Meanwhile, some eyewitnesses claimed that the bus, ER 2445-11, was overloaded after taking several stranded passengers from another bus that had broken down along the road.
According to an eyewitness, who remained anonymous, the driver, after picking the passengers also stopped at the Akrokeri Junction where the female student boarded the vehicle.
It was believed that some passengers raised concern amid heated argument over the overcrowded condition in the vehicle, which distracted the driver and contributed to the fatal crash.
This comes barely two days after six people were killed and several others injured when a Mercedes Benz sprinter-AS 6413-16 collided with a Hyundai VIP bus with registration number AC 1550-17, at Atwidie, near Juaso in the Asante Akim South of Ashanti.
One passenger in the VIP bus and five from the Sprinter were killed in the accident, according to a police source.
Fifty-three passengers onboard the VIP bus were rescued unhurt by the Ghana National Fire Service team.
The Sprinter Benz, transporting tomatoes, was completely destroyed, while the Hyundai VIP bus was partial damage as a result of the road crash.
FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI
Source:
ghanaiantimes.com.gh
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