Ambulance Crashes Into "Pito" Revellers

Lawra -- An ambulance belonging to St Joseph Hospital at Jirapa, which was responding to an emergency call, ran into a group of pito revellers at a pito bar at Yaga near Babile in the Lawra District of the Upper West Region on the eve of Valentine's Day, killing one woman.

Another woman, Mantiere Kaaranzie, who was among the revellers heralding Valentine's day, sustained serious injuries and is on admission at the St Joseph Hospital at Jirapa.According to Police Inspector Daniel Dorkpoh of the Police Public Relations Unit, the deceased has been identified as Ntie Dontong, the proprietor of the pito bar.

Inspector Dorkpoh said the driver of the ambulance, Abdulai Saakah, who was detained in police cells, has been released on bail to report periodically to the police while investigations continue.He said the driver of the ambulance was responding to an emergency call from St Joseph Hospital while he was returning from Nandom after discharging a corpse.

Inspector Dorkpoh said when the driver reached a section of the road at Yaga, the ambulance drove over a pothole, and the driver lost control. The ambulance then skidded off the road and ran into the two women who were serving pito on the veranda near the bar.

Inspector Dorkpoh said the Upper West Regional Police Command had expressed grave concern about the spate of fatal road accidents in recent times.

He added that it had been established that most of the fatal accidents were largely due to over-speeding and disregard for road traffic regulations. Inspector Dorkpoh therefore advised drivers to exercise extra caution especially when plying untarred roads.