A dreadful accident at Ataabadze on the Cape Coast-Takoradi highway has claimed at least 14 lives with many others also sustaining severe injuries.
A collision involving a sprinter van, a tipper truck, and an articulated truck caused the accident on Sunday, August 25, 2024.
According to eyewitnesses, the articulated truck attempted to overtake the tipper truck on a sharp curve, causing the fully loaded sprinter van, travelling from Accra to Takoradi, to crash.
Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service in Cape Coast and the Ghana Police Service quickly rushed to clear the road.
“While travelling from Cape Coast to Takoradi, near a curve by a school, two vehicles were approaching from Takoradi. One of the cars was delayed, prompting an articulated truck to attempt an overtaking. Simultaneously, a sprinter van was also trying to overtake. Both vehicles lost control in the curve and collided,” one of the male eyewitnesses narrated.
He said deceased persons and the injured were transported to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital.
The head of the hospital’s emergency unit, Dr Papa Kojo Mbroh, confirmed four more casualties in the latest update, bringing the death toll to 14.
The dead include a baby.
Another eyewitness, Eric Asante, added that the sprinter bus was en route to Takoradi from Mumford in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region.
“The occupants of the sprinter bus, mainly fishmongers and fishermen, were headed for the Sekondi Fishing Habour when the accident occurred,” he said.