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General News of Wednesday, 27 March 2002

Source: Chronicle

Four Deaths At Legon

Ghana's premier university, Legon, was hit by another tragedy when Monday, this week, authorities of the 37 Military Hospital confirmed the death of a second victim of a harrowing car accident that had claimed the lives of two students of the university.

The death was the fourth in a string of deaths that rocked the university in five months.

When Chronicle investigative team reached the university on Sunday, people of all sorts were visibly shaken and were seen wailing and groaning.

Chronicle learnt that a section of students of the university last Saturday attended a birthday party of one of their mates at Achimota, a suburb of Accra.

After the celebration and the normal enjoyment that characterized it, the party came to an end deep into the night, with almost all the participating students intoxicated.

The victims, Ms Fidelia Ankama, a first year student of Volta Hall 'perching' at Mensah Sarbah Hall, and her friend Nana Asenso, also of Mensah Sarbah Hall but temporarily domiciled at the SSNIT students hostel, were also allegedly tipsy.

Chronicle learnt that on their way back to campus in a posh BMW car driven by Nana Asenso, the victims in an attempt to overtake another vehicle, were crossed by an on-coming taxi-cab.

To prevent a head-on collision, the late Asenso veered into the nearby bush, crashing into a tree.

Chronicle learnt that Ms. Ankama died on the spot as a result of severe injuries she sustained.

Asenso who was in critical condition was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital where he passed away early Monday morning after frantic efforts by physicians to save his life failed.

The bodies of the two victims were deposited at the 37 Military Hospital morgue awaiting post-mortem.

Earlier on two students had died of typhoid fever, Chronicle learnt. When contacted for his reaction, the Dean of Students, Dr. V. Antwi-Danso, confirmed the incidence.

He posited that about mid-day on March 24, this year, a group of students led by the former president of Students' Representative Council (SRC), called at his house to report the incident.

Dr. Danso who is also a lecturer at the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA), however, added that the first two cases were clearly beyond the university's control, for one happened at the home of the deceased and the other one was reported to them rather late.