A Metro Mass bus transporting passengers from the nation's capital, Accra, to Obuasi-Dunkwa in the Ashanti Region, caught fire on the Accra-Cape Coast highway close to Apam on Monday, May 6, 2024.
According to some of the passengers on the bus, they had to save themselves by escaping through the windows of the bus because its doors could not open.
A viral video of the scene showed parts of the Metro Mass bus and the goods inside it completely burnt.
Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, who brought the situation under control, indicated that preliminary investigations point to the fire being started by a substance suspected to be acid, which was found in the bus.
"We are suspecting acid because there was a lot of it in the bus, and the fire did not reach the engine compartment. However, investigations are underway," the leader of the firemen told a Lucky TV reporter.
What surprised everyone, including the fire service personnel, was the presence of a large volume of a substance suspected to be marijuana, also known as Indian hemp, in the Metro Mass, a government-owned public transport.
The lead fireman said that the driver of the vehicle could not explain how the substance got on the bus.
"For now, we have suspected Indian hemp until it is proven otherwise. It is very shocking that Metro Mass, a government vehicle, would be found with such substances. You question the driver, and he is beating about the bush, saying he does not know how the substance got into the bus," he said.
He urged the authorities of government public transport operators to check the items they load in their vehicles because criminals might be using them for their activities, knowing that government vehicles like Metro Mass are not checked by security officials.
"So, I'm pleading that the items loaded in government vehicles are first checked," he said.
Watch a video from the scene of the incident below (Credit: Lucky TV):
A Metro Mass bus that departed from Kaneshie caught fire on its way to Obuasi-Dunkwa. Passengers were able to escape after noticing smoke coming from the luggage compartment. Surprisingly, they found acid and several parcels of marijuana packed in the compartment.
— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) May 6, 2024
Fire service… pic.twitter.com/I1RB9nn4Fr
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