‘Pragya’ burns with passengers

Three people, including the rider of a tricycle (rickshaw) popularly known as pragya, on Thursday night were burnt beyond recognition when they got trapped under a truck which failed its brakes and dragged for a distance before catching fire.

The Hyundai mighty truck loaded with goods travelling from the university direction towards Adum failed its brakes when it got to Oforikrom and in the process ran into four mini buses and a taxi before crashing into the rickshaw.

The charred bodies have since been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, while three people, including the driver of the truck who sustained injuries, have also been admitted to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Hospital.

Confirmation

Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Directorate (MTTD), Superintendent Emmanuel Adu Boahen, said the incident occurred around 7:50 p.m. when the driver of the truck with registration number GC 3897-20, identified as Alidu Mohammed, ran into the vehicles after the brakes allegedly failed while descending to the Anloga junction intersection from Oforikrom.

He said the rickshaw, which was trapped beneath the truck with all occupants, was dragged for a distance “and in the process, the tricycle caught fire and the rider together with two occupants got burnt beyond recognition.”

Supt Adu Boahen said the deceased were two adult males and an adult female whose remains had since been deposited at KATH for preservation and autopsy. He said, however, that they were yet to be identified.

Eyewitness

According to an eyewitness, Kofi Amoakohene, the three were the rider of the tricycle, a pregnant woman and another passenger.

Amoakohene, a carpenter apprentice at Angola Junction, said the tricycle was crossing the airport intersection road when the trailer driver lost control of his brakes and crashed into the tricycle, dragging it for about 10 metres before it caught fire.

He said it exploded and the three people could not escape.

“It was like a movie, they were hit at the back, on the blind side, so there was very little anyone of them could do,” Amoako said.

Scene

Yesterday when the Daily Graphic visited the scene, the trailer had been towed but the debris of the burnt tricycle was still there.

The scene was also attracting people whom upon hearing about the incident, had come there to see what had happened.