Accra:
A head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck in central Ghana killed 61 people in the deadliest road accident in recent memory, officials and witnesses said today.
The accident occurred last night in the town of Kintampo, more than 400 kilometres north of the capital, Accra, said Christopher Tawiah, a regional police spokesman. Survivors were being treated at the town’s government hospital, Tawiah said.
On Twitter, President John Dramani Mahama expressed condolences to affected families and said emergency crews were responding.
Bodies were strewn on the road in a scene of “devastation,” said Fred Dwomoh, whose son survived.
“This accident has shattered families,” Dwomoh said by phone from Kintampo. Relatives of some other passengers awaited news.
“My wife was on that bus and l am dreading to go to the hospital,” said Peter Frimpong, a trader in Accra. “I have asked my brother to check to see what has happened to her.” Officials are investigating. Ghana’s National Road Safety Commission reported that more than 1,600 people were killed in road accidents last year.
