GFA president confirms deaths of eight young footballers killed in car accident

Ghana FA President Kurt Okraku has confirmed the deaths of eight young footballers who were killed in a car accident on Saturday while returning from a registration centre ahead of the start of the new season.

The players ageed between 12 and 15 died in the Ashanti Region after the driver of the bus carrying players of Africa Vision Soccer Academy lost control and the vehicle plunged into the Offinso river on Saturday.

Four others are fighting for their lives hospital after the front tyre of the bus burst while on the Offinso River, robbing the driver of his control of the steering wheel before the vehicle plunged into the river.

Six players died instantly following the accident in the Ashanti Region and two more succumbed by Saturday night in the hospital where the critically injured players were undergoing treatment.

“I have received with a heavy heart the death of 8 juvenile players (African Vision FC) today in Offinso in the Ashanti Region," Okraku wrote late on Saturday night.

The lifeless bodies were recovered from the river as people in the nearby towns rushed to the scene to offer their help.

The Africa Vision Soccer Academy which is based in Offinso travelled to Afrancho near Kumasi to undertake the registration of their players ahead of the start of the new season.

It was on their journey back to Offinso that the driver lost control of his vehicle leading to the gory scenes that played out.

The team that plays in the Colts League - the youth league in Ghana - were registrating new players to boost their squad.

The four critically injured players are currently undergoing treatment at the Komfo Anokye Hospital following the accident.

Twenty-four (24) other kids are also receiving treatment at the St. Patrick Hospital in Offinso following the accident.

The news has thrown the entire football fraternity in Ghana into a deep state of of mourning as the deaths of the such young souls has shaken followers of the game.

It is unknown the number of kids on board in the bus.