body-container-line-1
09.11.2008 Tragedy

22 perish in accident

By myjoyonline
22 perish in accident
09.11.2008 LISTEN

Twenty two persons have been confirmed dead after the vehicles on which they traveled collided near Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region on Saturday night.

A KIA truck, with registration number AS 1637 B, had a head-on collision with a 207 Benz bus, with registration number BA 656 X, carrying passengers from Nkoranza to Sunyani. 19 people died on the spot with others sustaining severe injuries.

Three of the victims died later at the Holy Family Hospital at Techiman where they were receiving treatment.

The cause of the accident is yet to be established.

Joy News' correspondent Awudu Iddrisu, reporting from the Techiman Hospital where the deceased have been deposited, said families of the deceased and sympathizers have trooped to the hospital to identify their bodies.

“The hospital is packed and you can see people everywhere,” Awudu Iddrisu told Joy News on Sunday afternoon.

“I think the doctor who is to do the postmortem is not in yet, so no dead body has been released to any family member,” he says.

Meanwhile, the police in Techiman have dismissed rumours that a joint police/military team shot one of the tyres of the KIA truck causing the driver to lose control of the steering.

Solomon Kwabena Ntim, Techiman Police Commander explained: “It was a forestry/military team and not police/military team. This is what we are also hearing on the ground here but so far we have not got concrete evidence…we initiated investigation into the matter to establish the truth of the matter.”

“The police was nowhere near this matter,” he insisted, adding; “though we have finished with the investigations I cannot tell you how it happened.”

Story by Isaac Essel

body-container-line