About 30 pupils were rushed to hospital after a school bus plunged into a river at Atwima Boko in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region.
The accident occurred on Monday, June 5, 2023, while the bus was conveying the pupils of Divine Charisma International School.
According to some parents, the bus fell from a dilapidated bridge along its regular route on the road and ended up in a river under the said bridge.
The father of two victims who spoke to the media said the children were rushed to the Akoma Specialist Hospital in the area for treatment.
At least 14 pupils of the Great Faith Rockery School in Kumasi were injured after their school bus was involved in a similar accident a few months ago.
According to reports, the driver lost control of the steering wheel, and the bus somersaulted and landed in a ditch close to the Subin River on the Asokwa-Ahodwo road.
Another accident involving a school bus in November 2022, Terchire-Adrobaa stretch in the Tano North District of Bono Region, claimed the lives of four pupils and left several others in critical condition.
The bus was transporting about 42 pupils of the DS Elite Academy when the car slid off the newly constructed Adrobaa road.
Eyewitnesses narrated that the driver slid off the slippery road upon getting to a sharp curve, causing the car to somersault.
This was followed by a collaboration between the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NASIA) in January 2023 to ensure that the roadworthiness of school buses is made a requirement for the renewal of school licenses.
Mr Kwabena Asare Mintah, the Manager in charge of Regulations, Inspections and Compliance of the NRSA, said that a team would embark on field inspections to enable the Authority to know the lapses and make recommendations.
He also advised the school authorities to ensure the vehicles were serviced and in good shape before hitting the roads.