TWO separate road accidents in the Eastern Region on Saturday have left three people dead and more than two dozen injured, raising concerns over road safety and highway conditions.
In the first incident, a fuel tanker exploded at Okanta, near Nsawam, killing three people.
The tanker, carrying petrol from Tema to Kumasi, reportedly lost control at a section of the Accra–Suhum dual carriageway at Ntoaso around 4 a.m.
The explosion engulfed six vehicles and four motorbikes. Two charred bodies were found at the scene, while another was recovered from a burnt vehicle. Four injured persons were taken to nearby hospitals.
Deputy Superintendent of Police David Fianko Okyere of the Eastern Regional Police Command said the death toll could rise as rescue teams continued to comb the wreckage.
Preliminary reports suggested that the tanker lost control, causing fuel to spill onto trailing vehicles.
Twenty victims were treated at Nsawam Government Hospital, while seven were referred to Koforidua Government Hospital.
Investigations by the Ghana Police Service and the National Road Safety Authority are ongoing.
In a separate crash on the Tema–Akosombo highway near Akrade in the Asuogyaman District, six people, including a two-and-a-half-year-old toddler, were critically injured in a head-on collision between a KIA Rhino truck and a private saloon car around 6:20 p.m.
Reports indicated that one driver swerved to avoid a pothole, colliding with oncoming traffic. Victims included a young family of three, the truck driver and mate, and a bystander who tried to help.
The highway was blocked for several hours, delaying emergency response. The injured were taken to the Volta River Authority Hospital in Akosombo.
The accidents have renewed calls for strict adherence to traffic rules and urgent attention to deteriorating road infrastructure across major highways in the region.
By: NORMAN COOPER AND STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
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