At least 53 people were killed and 23 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

on 18 February 2016. Five children were among the wounded. The government-operated bus was heading to

Tamale A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tam ...

when it collided head-on with the

cargo truck Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

, which was carrying

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es, near the town of Kintampo on Wednesday evening. A regional

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

spokesman said: “It was very serious ... we had to use

chainsaw A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable gasoline-, electric-, or battery-powered saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. It is used in activities such as tree felling, limbing, bucking, pru ...

s to cut through parts of the mangled bus to get bodies and survivors out. The police affirmed it was one of the worst road accidents in Ghana in years. Even if the cause of the accident is unknown, some sources said that it could have been a problem of brakes, but speeding could also have been the cause. It seems the bus was overloaded, carrying more than the maximum of 63 passengers.

References

2016 in Ghana 2016 road incidents Road incidents in Ghana February 2016 events in Africa 2016 disasters in Ghana {{Africa-hist-stub

See also

References