‘Even her foetus came out’- Pregnant woman, child charred in tricycle accident

Three passengers, including a pregnant woman and a child, were burnt to death in a gory accident at Anloga Junction in the Ashanti Region.

Information gathered by theghanareport.com indicates that the woman was forced into labour and the foetus came out after the tricycle they were riding caught fire.

The pregnant woman, the foetus, a child, and the driver of the tricycle (popularly called Pragya or Mahama Camboo), were all burnt beyond recognition, an eyewitness narrated.

The incident occurred on Thursday, November 5, 2020, at about 7:30 pm.

The pregnant woman and her child had come from a long journey on a bus travelling towards Kumasi, on the main Accra road.

Regional MTTD Commander, Superintendent Emmanuel Adu Boahen, has confirmed the accident.

They alighted at Anloga Junction and picked a Pragya, which has now become a popular means of transport in some parts of the country.

However, the driver moved in the opposite direction on the side of the road meant for vehicles from Tech Junction to Adum.

He wanted to get to his destination at Bokroum as fast as possible.

The deadly decision resulted in a truck crashing into the tricycle.

The loaded truck had hit four other vehicles after a suspected brake failure.

The truck dragged the tricycle with the occupants about 120m before halting.

The metallic parts of the tricycle caused sparks, and the leaking fuel resulted in an inferno which burnt all the occupants.

Police in the region were dispatched later to the scene and towed the truck to the Oforikrom Police Post.

The police have commenced investigations to establish the identity of the occupants and establish the cause of the accident.

Police account

Superintendent Boahen said on reaching Oforikrom, a few metres to Anloga Junction, the vehicle allegedly development a brake failure and the driver tried to manoeuvre his way to avoid the crash but unfortunately hit the tricycle.

This, he said the police was still investigating.

He said personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service aided the police to get the occupants out.

However, “the time we were able to get the Pragya and the three people on board, they had already burnt beyond recognition”.

The remains have been sent to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Morgue for autopsy.

He said five vehicles got damaged in total and the three injured have been sent to KNUST Hospital including the driver of the Hyundai truck.

The driver is under arrest and investigation has commenced.

Over 30 burnt in Kintampo accident

Several others have perished in accidents after the vehicles caught fire.

Notable is the Kawampe accident in the Kintampo North Municipality of the Bono East region in which at least 30 passengers were burnt to death.

Reports indicate that a bus which was carrying sacks of fresh pepper and about 12 passengers and heading towards Kintampo from Tamale, collided head-on with a Sprinter between Kawampe and Dawadawa at dawn.

A mass burial was held for the deceased persons.

Accident records 

Ghana recorded 1,585 deaths from 9,205 road crashes between January and August 2020.

The accidents involved 15,459 vehicles, 1,638 pedestrian knockdowns and 9,397 injuries.

The figures, according to the Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah, were higher compared to the figures for the same period in 2019.

The authority has been championing a road safety campaign dubbed “Arrive Alive” to help cut down fatalities and casualties on the roads.