Ten people are feared dead, and several others injured, following a fatal accident involving a Tamale-Kumasi bound VVIP bus with registration number AP 24-21 at Alipe, a community along the Tamale-Buipe Highway in the Savannah Region.
Police at the scene confirmed that the injured were rescued and transported to nearby medical facilities for treatment, while personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service were awaited to tow the bus and assist in retrieving those trapped beneath it.
Some survivors who spoke to JoyNews recounted that the bus had departed Tamale around 7:32 am on Thursday, amid heavy rains, en route to Kumasi. Upon reaching Alipe, the driver reportedly attempted to overtake a second vehicle but veered off the road, causing the crash.
“We were fifteen missionaries in the bus going to Kumasi. The rains started just as we left Tamale.
Our driver overtook one vehicle successfully, but when he attempted to pass a second one, the bus skidded off the road,” survivor Amatus Kargu narrated. “Three of our colleagues are still trapped under the bus. The rest were rushed to the hospital.”
The driver, who was the sole occupant, said he was headed toward Buipe when he lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road and overturned. He escaped unhurt.
“The spot where I lost control was the same place the VVIP bus veered off,” the driver remarked. “In my case, the sand and what seemed like diesel oil on the road made it slippery. The bus driver was on top speed, so the bus went further before crashing into the bush.
Some commercial drivers who rushed to the scene attributed the frequent accidents at that spot to sand deposits left by tipper trucks, which they say create slippery conditions, especially when mixed with rainwater.
As of the time the news team left the scene, over an hour later, fire service personnel had still not arrived to assist in lifting the overturned bus to retrieve the remaining trapped victims.
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