A devastating accident has occurred on the Tamale-Buipe Highway in the Savannah Region, claiming the lives of 10 individuals and leaving several others injured.
The incident involved a VVIP bus with registration number AP 24-21, which was traveling from Tamale to Kumasi when it veered off the road at Alipe, a suburb of Central Gonja district.
Eyewitnesses report that the bus, carrying 15 missionaries, attempted to overtake another vehicle and subsequently lost control, resulting in the fatal crash.
Amatus Kargu, one of the survivors, recounted the harrowing experience, “We were fifteen missionaries in the bus going to Kumasi, so the moment we took off, the rains started too. But our driver was doing overtaking, and after the first car, he went for the second car but could not and went off the road. Now three of our colleagues are among those under the car. The rest were rushed to the hospital.”
The scene of the accident was dire, with bodies trapped under the wreckage and others lying nearby. The Ghana National Fire Service was summoned to the scene to assist in the rescue efforts, but their arrival was delayed, leaving the injured stranded.
In a bizarre coincidence, an earlier accident occurred at the same spot, involving a Toyota pick-up with registration number GV123-21. The driver, who narrowly escaped injury, attributed the incident to the sandy nature of the road, which caused him to lose control.
He noted that the portion of the road where the accident occurred appeared to have diesel oil spilled on it, making it slippery.
Commercial drivers who witnessed the accident attributed the cause to the presence of sand on the road, which made it hazardous for vehicles. As of the time the news team left the scene, the overturned bus had not been lifted, leaving those trapped beneath it in a precarious situation.
The Ministry of Transportation and the Ghana Police Service will likely conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and implement measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. For now, the community mourns the loss of life and calls for increased safety measures on the nation’s roads.
