6 killed in Tamale Accident

One more person was confirmed dead Friday afternoon at the Tamale Teaching Hospital after being involved in the fatal accident that occurred between Tamale and Yapei on the dawn of Thursday, killing 5 instantly.

The latest death brings to 6 the number of persons who died after a tipper truck with registration number AS 1276 S collided head-on with a Bolgatanga-bound Neoplan bus with registration number UE 187N.

The cause of the accident is unknown but preliminary investigations point to the fact that the driver of the Neoplan bus tried overtaking another vehicle, resulting in the collision.

The latest deceased was among the initial 10 persons who were severely injured after the incident and were rushed to the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

Three of the 6 bodies, including the driver of the tipper truck, Alhassan Iddrisu, have been identified by their respective families, and have been released to the bereaved families by the hospital authorities for burial.

The other persons who are yet to be identified have been left on the floor at the hospital mortuary following reports that cabins of the morgue are not functioning properly.

According to DAILY GUIDE’s checks, only 6 out of the 25 cabins in the mortuary are functional, compelling mortuary attendants to put more than 3 bodies into one cabin, a situation some relations of the deceased persons have complained about.

At the time of DAILY GUIDE’s visit, a number of the bodies had started discomposing, producing a horrible smell in the area.

It is unclear when hospital authorities intend working on the cabins in the mortuary to accommodate more bodies, but fears are that it could affect the health of residents and passersby if the situation is not immediately rectified.

All attempts to talk to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr. Ken Segoe, proved futile as he was reportedly in a management meeting.