Update: Nkawkaw accident, death toll now 11

Eleven persons have been killed and several others injured in a horrible accident in the early hours of Saturday June 4, 2016, at Abepotia, near Nkawkaw, on the Accra-Kumasi highway.

Three persons died on the spot while eight others passed away in hospital. The deceased were part of 58 Moslems, including 39 women, 12 children, and seven men who were travelling from Accra to northern Ghana for this year's Ramadan.

A police report indicated that at about 5:30am Saturday, the driver of a 42-seater Neoplan bus, on which the faithful were travelling, lost control after hitting a speed ramp, veering off its lane and running into a stationary fuel tanker at the shoulder of the road.

The medical director of the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital, Dr Bernard Nii Torgbor, said the hospital’s swift response to a distress call on the incident at about 6:30am helped in stabilising the condition of the victims.

He further stated that nine persons who are in critical condition have been referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.

According to Dr Torgbor, the 10th person the hospital authority is planning to refer is an unconscious pregnant woman.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mavis Ama Frimpong who visited the hospital to sympathise with the victims and wish them well, commended the hospital staff and the National Ambulance Service for their quick response to save lives.

She used the situation to advise drivers to avoid speeding, drunk driving, use of mobile phones while driving, and to abide by road regulations.