A total of nine passengers, including a toddler, died on the spot when a VIP bus they were travelling on from Kumasi to Wa was involved in an accident at Gindabou in the Savannah Region on Wednesday.
About 10 others, including the driver who sustained injuries were rushed to the Upper West Regional Hospital where they are responding to treatment.
The 45-seater bus with registration number GT 5693-16 was said to have veered off the road into the bush and finally crashed into a tree leading to the death.
The Public Relations Officer of the Savannah Regional Police Command, Inspector Owusu Agyekum, speaking with the Ghanaian Times on phone said preliminary investigations suggested that the car was traveling from Accra to Wa.
He said the bus was suspected to have been moving on top speed when it veered off the road and crashed into the tree. The crash caused a wreckage of the vehicle whose upper part was ripped off and shredded into tatters.
“We cannot label an actual cause because most of the victims, including the driver, are unconscious but since the car veered off the road, we suspect the driver might have been sleeping”, he said.
Inspector Agyekum said there were 18 persons on board at the time of the incident.
“The incident happened closer to a police barrier so the police personnel on duty at the time rushed to the scene when they heard the loud sound and assisted the victims after calling for backup”, he said.
Inspector Agyekum used the opportunity to reiterate calls on transport owners to provide two drivers to a bus in order to safely transport passengers over long distances.
“A transport operator who is able to invest money in big buses should be able to employ the services of two drivers for one bus in order to safeguard the lives of the drivers and the passengers as well”, he added.
Meanwhile, bodies of the deceased persons have also been conveyed to the Wa Regional Hospital for autopsy, preservation and identification.