At least seven individuals, comprising five males and two females, lost their lives instantly when the VIP Bus they were travelling in from Tamale to Accra collided with a petrol tanker at Obretema, located near Suhum on the Accra-Kumasi Highway over the weekend.
The VIP bus, bearing registration number GR 7632-24, was involved in an accident at Obretema when it was struck by a fuel tanker with registration number UE 9644-22. The tanker had swerved from its lane coming from the opposite direction at approximately 4:30 am.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that the collision caused both vehicles to overturn, resulting in the drivers losing control and the bus ending up in a ditch. Emergency personnel from the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana National Fire Service promptly arrived at the scene to assist with the evacuation and recovery of the deceased, whose bodies were subsequently taken to the Suhum government hospital.
The police with the assistance of passersby managed the traffic situation on the stretch and organised towing trucks to help move the mangled vehicles to safety.
Personnel of the National Ambulance Service also assisted in conveying several others who were injured to the same hospital
Assistant Divisional Officer Grade One (ADO), Opare Akonnor, who spoke for the Suhum Fire Service command, said, “We had a call at 12:43 am from the police that there had been an accident involving two vehicles; the tanker and the VIP bus. So, quickly we dispatched our guys to the scene to come and help.”
“We were able to rescue several people but we cannot give the actual number of people we have been able to rescue.”
Meanwhile, the police are calling on the general public to inform relatives who are expecting loved ones who were in transit to come over for identification. Citinews
