Deadliest accidents of 2019 that took many Ghanaians lives

The country has been hit with many disasters which has cost the life of Ghanaians and resulted in the loss of properties worth millions of cedis. One of such disasters is road accidents.

The government and the National Road Safety Commission have embarked on several campaigns to significantly reduce the frequency and ramifications of road accidents within the country.

These road safety campaigns seek to change attitudes and behaviors like drunk driving, over-speeding, among others which will ultimately improve road safety.

According to the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, there has been a 17.57% increase in the number of road accidents in 2019 as against figures recorded in the first quarter of 2018.

Also, the commuters and pedestrians killed increased from 592 in the first quarter of 2018 to 696 in the same period of 2019. The number of pedestrians killed rose from 198 in the first quarter of last year to 207 during the same period this year.

GhanaWeb takes a critical look into some deadliest road accidents recorded so far this year and the impact it has had on the victims and the society at large.

The Asamankese accident – 17 dead (February 2019)

In February 2019, 17 people were confirmed dead in an accident at a town called Asuokow near Asamankese, in the Eastern Region.

Bizzarely, the victims were mourners who had gone to the Asamankese Government Hospital morgue to get the body of a 17-year-old boy for burial.

Reports indicated that they were in an open truck and when they got to Asuokow, the brakes of the driver failed, causing the crash.

Thirty people were crammed into the bucket of the truck and the eyewitness told Daily Guide that apart from the deaths, many others sustained various degrees of injury.

The Bono- East accident – More than 60 dead (March 2019)

Over 60 people were confirmed dead after two buses had a head-on collision in the Bono-East district on March 22, 2019.

“The vehicles were travelling in separate directions when the collision occurred. At least 60 people have been confirmed dead and one of the buses caught fire, with the other seriously mangled,” Police Commander, Joseph Antwi Gyawu reaffirmed.

According to the police, the buses had 50 passengers each at the time of the crash. Efforts were made to control the disaster as emergency services, including firefighters were at the scene to put out the blazing vehicle.

Local media said the driver of one of the vehicles lost control after falling asleep.

Ekumfi accident – 8 dead, 70 injured (March 2019)

An accident involving a Yutong Bus from Takoradi to Accra and Metro Mass Transit Bus from Accra to Diaso claimed the lives of 8 people and injured seventy. It occurred at Ekumfi duakwa in the Ekumfi district of the Central region.

The two buses collided with a cargo truck which was attempting to overtake but ended up running into a speed ramp.

Speaking to Starr News, the Mankessim Divisional Police Commander Superintendent, Augustine Mensah described the accident as gory but avoidable. He admonished motorists to observe road safety rules in order to help reduce carnage on such roads.

The Gomoa Mpota accident - 23 injured (July 2019)

In July 2019, a ghastly accident at the Gomoa Mpota junction on the Kasoa-Cape Coast highway left 23 passengers in critical health conditions.

“The vehicle’s back tire burst, out of which the driver lost control of the steer and the vehicle veered into the opposite lane. All the people with the immediate response of the police are receiving treatment at the hospital with no death recorded at least for now despite the serious injuries recorded,” a witness identified as Pastor Stephen told Adom News.

The Sege road accident – 6 dead, 15 injured (October 2019)

Six people had lost their lives, and 15 others were injured when two vehicles crashed on the Tema-Aflao road.

According to Sege Police Commander DSP George Aboagye, Toyota Hiace with registration GT 9125 - 12 from Aflao, rammed into a Sprinter minibus with registration GC 7364 - 12 from Tema. The former was trying to avoid a motorbike parked by the roadside.

The area has been a death trap for road users, and the indigenes have ascribed it to the drivers’ not adhering to the road speed limit.

The Kubease accident – 7 dead, others injured (November 2019)

In November 2019, seven people were declared dead, and several others sustained various degrees of injuries after two vehicles collided at Kubease near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

A police report stated that the accident involved a state transport company inter-city bus and another bus owned by Temsa Imperial Express, a private transport company.

“On reaching a section of the road between Ejisu-and-Konongo, the STC bus on its way from Accra to Kumasi overtook another vehicle, and in the process collided with the Temsa Imperial Express bus on its way from Bawku to Accra,” the report further stated.

The dead bodies were sent to the Ejisu government hospital for preservation, while the injured were sent to the Komfo-Anokye Teaching Hospital for treatment.