6 perish in Ofoase Kokobeng accident

Police in Bekwai in the Ashanti Region have begun investigations into a road crash in which six people, including a three-month-old baby, died on the spot.

Ten others who suffered serious injuries were rushed separately to nearby Abenkyiman and Dominase SDA Hospitals, and later referred to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

Wednesday’s tragedy at Ofoase Kokoben on the Kumasi-Obuasi Highway was the result of a head-on collision between a Mercedes Benz 207 passenger bus and a fuel tanker.

The passenger vehicle, with registration  AW 1658 Z was bound for Kumasi from Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central Region while the tanker was moving in the opposite direction.

The impact of the collision was so severe some of the victims were thrown from the vehicle before being trapped under the wreckage.

Fire personnel spent hours off-loading fuel from the crashed tanker onto another track in order to ensure there was no explosion.

It’s unclear what actually caused the accident but eye-witnesses suggest passenger vehicle burst a tyre, forcing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel.

Bekwai District Commander, ASP Edward Boateng, who was devastated by the accident, however, says the cause of the carnage would be established after investigations.

“As I speak now, six have been confirmed dead on the spot here. That is, 2 males; 3 females then a baby aged about 3-months. In cases like these, there should be an expert opinion. It’s the vehicle examination people who will come and examine the vehicle.  No one can tell either the tyre got burst before the accident or the vehicle was involved in accident before the tyre burst. So we cannot actually come out with the cause of the accident as I speak now unless after sometime now when we delve into examinations then we would be able to tell what exactly happened," he explained.

Driver’s mate of the fuel tanker, Abass Yussif, tells Joy News his master tried unsuccessfully to save the situation after the bus veered off its lane.

In a related development, an Opel taxi cab burnt to ashes at Ahenema Kokoben near Kumasi

Eyewitnesses say the driver of the cab, with registration GW 195 X, attempted to commit suicide by entering the flames after a failed bid to douse them with water from a nearby well.

The driver who had left the scene before Nhyira News arrived made no attempts to call the Fire Service for assistance.

Curious onlookers looked on helplessly as the vehicle burn in flames.