Two dead, eight injured in Cape Coast-Takoradi highway crash

Two people have died while eight others sustained injuries after a Toyota Hiace vehicle was involved in an accident at Dompoase near Komenda on the Cape Coast-Takoradi highway.

The crash occurred on Friday evening, leaving one of the victims trapped inside the damaged vehicle with registration number AS 6145-24.

Personnel from the Komenda Fire Station responded to a distress call at about 6:55 p.m. and arrived at the scene around 7:10 p.m. to begin rescue operations.

According to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), one person was found dead at the scene, while another victim who was trapped inside the vehicle was rescued but later pronounced dead, bringing the total number of fatalities to two.

The Central Regional Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, Divisional Officer Grade II (DO II) Abdul Wasiu Hudu, confirmed the incident in a statement, indicating that preliminary information showed that 10 people were travelling in the Toyota Hiace at the time of the crash.

He said eight passengers sustained varying degrees of injury, with three of them reported to be in critical condition.

The injured victims were transported by personnel of the National Ambulance Service to the Elmina Polyclinic for medical attention.

The GNFS said initial investigations based on eyewitness accounts suggested that an unidentified vehicle travelling from Takoradi towards Cape Coast attempted to overtake another vehicle.

The overtaking manoeuvre reportedly forced the Toyota Hiace, which was heading from Cape Coast towards Takoradi, to veer off its lane in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision.

The vehicle subsequently crashed into a stationary broken-down truck with registration number GN 2491-14.

The impact of the collision trapped one of the occupants inside the commercial vehicle until fire officers arrived and successfully carried out the rescue operation, while another victim died on the spot.