ACCIDENT CLAIMS 8 LIVES (Back Page)

Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi

EIGHT people died on the spot at Atwedie, on the Konongo-Nkawkaw road on Wednesday night, when a Kumasi bound Accra bus crashed into the Nissan Largo mini bus in which all the eight were travelling.
The bus, with registration number ER 2653 U, and fully loaded with passengers, was said to be avoiding a stationary cargo DAF truck, belonging to the Ghana Education Service (GES), when it collided head-on with the mini bus with registration number GT 5659 Q, killing the eight passengers which included three females and five males.
The only surviving passenger on the bus, a baby girl aged 18 months, was on admission at the Juaso Hospital, and was said to be responding to treatment.
The bodies of the deceased, which are yet to be identified, have been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for autopsy and the police have mounted a search for the driver of the bus to assist in their investigations.
The Ashanti Regional Commander of the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), DSP James Sarfo Peprah, who briefed the Daily Graphic, said the incident occurred when the driver of the bus drove past two vehicles, including a Kumasi bound bus and a DAF cargo truck with registration number GV 9127 C, which had broken down on the road.
He explained that prior to the incident, a driver of another bus who attempted to overtake the stationary bus saw the Nissan Largo approaching from the opposite direction, so he stopped to give way to the oncoming vehicle.
DSP Sarfo-Peprah said at that time, the bus, which was following closely, overtook both the bus which was ahead and the stationary DAF, and in the process, collided head-on with the Nissan Largo bus, killing the eight passengers on board.
He said the driver of the bus vanished from the accident scene and was yet to report to the police.
The MTTU commander stated that they had, therefore, mounted a search to arrest him to assist in their investigations.