Akyem Asafo accident death toll rises to 19

The crash was between two VIPs on the Accra-Kumasi highway

Three more people have died from the Akyem Asafo accident that occurred Friday dawn.

This takes the death toll to 19.

The crash, which was between two VIPs on the Accra-Kumasi highway, claimed 16 lives on the spot.

Some of the bodies were dismembered.

About five ambulances rushed to the scene to convey the injured to nearby hospitals at Asafo, Kyebi and surrounding areas.

Also, heavy-duty vehicles converged on the scene to help with rescue efforts and clear the area of the wreckage.

The accident is said to have happened as one of the buses attempted overtaking the other.

The buses were two Kia Granbirds – one with registration number GT 5629-18 with passengers headed to Kumasi from Accra and the other with registration number GE 5510-15.

Both drivers were among the dead.

Some locals say a three-year-old was among the dead.

The other passengers who survived with life-threatening injuries were ferried to the Suhum Government Hospital and Akyem Asafo Health Centre for emergency treatment.

The bodies had to be extricated from the concertinaed buses by a team of first responders made up of police, firefighters and paramedics from Suhum, Bunso, Kibi, and Ayensuano.

They have been deposited at the Suhum Government Hospital mortuary.