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22.08.2011 Tragedy

4 Killed In Gory Accident

By Daily Guide
The Benz Bus lying on its side after the gory accident.The Benz Bus lying on its side after the gory accident.
22.08.2011 LISTEN

FOUR PERSONS, comprising a woman in her mid-thirties and three males, lost their lives whilst several others sustained life-threatening injuries when a vehicle they were traveling in got involved in a gory accident in Kumasi on Friday.

The deceased persons were on board a 807 Benz Bus, popularly known as 'Opanka', with registration number AS 1471-10 from Kumasi to Samreboi when the horrific accident occurred at Santasi, a suburb of Kumasi, around 12:30pm.

The bodies of the dead persons, who were yet to be identified, had been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) morgue for autopsy. The injured persons were also receiving treatment at the same hospital.

The Benz bus was being driven at top speed when an articulated truck tried to overtake it on the main Kumasi to Obuasi road.

After managing to overtake the Benz bus, the trailer of the articulated truck hit the front side of the bus which was in the outer lane.

The driver of the bus eventually lost control of the steering wheel after the impact, forcing the vehicle to fall into a ditch right on the shoulders of the busy road, claiming four lives in the process.

Briefing DAILY GUIDE , Richard Karikari of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), who was at the scene, said the woman died on the spot whilst the three other males died shortly after being rushed to the hospital for treatment.

He said he suspected that the mishap was caused by over-speeding, disclosing that the articulated truck sped off after causing the accident, and therefore its registration number could not be taken.

According to him, the area where the accident occurred was gradually becoming an accident-prone spot, so he sternly cautioned road users to be circumspect and avoid over-speeding whenever they were on the road.

Karikari urged the police MTTU in the region to quickly come out with measures to check over-speeding which had been claiming human lives in the region, notably Kumasi, in recent times.

He said an accident claiming four lives in the city at Santasi should be a wake-up call for the police MTTU and an indication that all was not well, urging them to start checking over-speeding in the city center as well.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi

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