Ten perish in accident

Ten passengers, including a schoolgirl, perished in a motor accident when the truck on which they were travelling went out of control while descending a hill at Akosombo.
The passengers are said to have jumped from the bucket of the truck on realising that the vehicle was running into a ditch.

According to the Akosombo Divisional Police Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Akwasi Yeboah, the traders were travelling from Television, a farming community near Akosombo, to sell their farm produce and firewood at the Akosombo Market yesterday when the accident occurred about 9.30 a.m.

He said the driver of the truck, with registration number GE 9869-13, had told the police that he lost control of the vehicle due to break failure.

“While the vehicle was in motion, the women, sensing danger, started jumping off the bucket of the truck,” he said.

Seven passengers died on the spot from severe injuries, while three others passed away  at the Atua Government Hospital,  where they had been rushed to, ASP Yeboah said.

He said three other traders who sustained severe injuries were referred from the Akosombo Government Hospital to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for further treatment.

The rest were treated and discharged at the Akosombo Government Hospital.

The bodies of the victims have been deposited at the morgue of the Atua Government Hospital pending autopsy.

The driver was currently in police custody assisting with investigations, the MTTU commander stated. 

By Nana Konadu Agyemang