31 Perish In Tamale

A motor accident involving a fully loaded Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Neoplan bus, travelling from Kumasi to Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region and a Benz 207 bus from the opposite direction, claimed 31 lives on Friday evening in Tamale.

Twenty-five out of the 31 dead bodies of the road accident have been identified by their respective families and released for burial by authorities of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, as at noon yesterday.

The identified persons included a woman who was recently wedded and two female graduates of the University for Development Studies (UDS) who were travelling to Tamale to participate in the 13th congregation of the university.

The incident occurred after the MMT bus with registration number AW 238 Z, travelling from Kumasi to Bolgatanga, collided head-on with a Benz 207 bus with registration number WR 2712 C, coming from the opposite direction.

According to an eyewitness, Illiasu Salifu, the incident occurred at about 7:15pm at Kogni near the Barwah Barracks, Airborne Borne Force, when the Benz bus driver attempted to overtake a motorcade and veered into the lane of the speeding Metro Mass bus, resulting in the head-on collision.

At the time of leaving the hospital in the early hours of Saturday, 30 people were confirmed dead on arrival but six more died later on admission.

Checks by DAILY GUIDE revealed that the Benz bus had onboard 38 passengers while the MMT bus had over 65. It is feared that there would be no survivor on the Benz bus which is mangled beyond recognition.

It took the intervention of personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service and the Police to recover several bodies and injured persons trapped in the wreckage.

An orthopedic surgeon at the hospital, Dr Ibrahim Abubakari, who led a team of 40 paramedics to attend to the casualties, told DAILY GUIDE that 40 persons were in critical condition, stating that the hospital had been overwhelmed.

Sources however hinted that the survival of a number of them was in doubt in view of the severity of their cases, but health personnel had promised to do their best for them to recuperate.

Alex Ayietta, Regional Director of National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), who briefed journalists, faulted the Benz bus driver for reckless driving. He underscored the need for drivers to adhere to road safety signs to safeguard lives as the Christmas festivities drew closer.

He disclosed that the police would conduct thorough investigations into the matter, expressing his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

The Northern Regional MTTU Commander, Godwin Cashman Blewushie, hoped all the dead those who might not have heard of the incident.

Yusif Alhassan, who identified his sister, a student of Business College International (BCI), at the scene of the incident, said she was on her way back to school after visiting home when she was involved in the accident.

He told DAILY GUIDE that someone picked her phone and dialed his number, prompting him to rush to the scene only to be met with the sad news of her death.

Monday 19 November 2012

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