13 people killed in VIP bus accident near Obuasi on Kumasi-Enchi route

Thirteen people lost their lives on Monday dawn in a bus accident on the Kumasi to Enchi highway. 

The VIP bus they were travelling with from Kumasi to Enchi in the Western North Region reportedly veered off the road and plunged into a ditch near Kwapia in the Obuasi area of the Ashanti Region.

The Police said 11 passengers died on the spot, with the others dieing at the hospital.

Among the deceased were seven males, six females including a child.

The bus with registration number ER 2445-11, had reportedly picked up several stranded passengers from another bus that had earlier broken down along the route.

Eyewitnesses alleged that tensions arose among the passengers due to the overcrowded conditions.

The driver, identified as Osei Adu, reportedly lost control while navigating a sharp curve, causing the bus to skid off the road and into the ditch.

Among the injured are two police officers who were on the bus performing escort duties and are currently receiving treatment for their injuries.

In a radio interview with Citi FM, the General Manager of VIP Jeoun Transport Company Limited, Adakabre Frimpong Manso, said there were plans to employ inspectors to monitor the conduct and behaviour of drivers on the road. 

Additionally, he added that they would introduce an electronic manifest and passenger tracking system starting next month.

"We believe that when we bring inspectors on the highway to check the conduct and behaviours of our drivers and also bring in the electronic logging, we are able to ascertain and track so we can see what is actually happening on the highway", he stated.

Just a few days earlier, on October 11, another VIP bus was involved in a fatal collision with a sprinter bus on the Accra-Kumasi highway near Atwedie. Six people died on the spot, with speed and reckless driving cited as possible causes.