One person has died and several others sustained injuries after a trailer crashed into several vehicles, motorbikes and tricycles on the Krofrom-Tafo-Nhyiaeso stretch in the Ashanti Region.
The incident occurred at around 4 p.m. and involved several commercial vehicles, including Urvans and tricycles popularly referred to as Pragya, which were carrying passengers from the Kumasi Central Business District and Kejetia.
The trailer also veered into shops along the road, destroying goods, including paints and other construction materials.
An unidentified adult male passenger travelling in one of the tricycles died in the crash, while several other injured persons were conveyed to nearby health facilities for treatment.
Tafo-Pakrono Divisional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, ASP Paul Ayaaba Asore, said the tipper truck struck about seven vehicles and motorbikes.
“We tried to ensure that the accident scene was kept safe. We tried to make sure that there were no interferences from the bystanders,” he said.
ASP Asore said a man who became trapped inside one of the tricycles was rescued through the joint efforts of the Ghana National Fire Service and the National Ambulance Service and subsequently transported to Komfo Anokye Hospital.
“With the assistance of the Fire Service, they were able to cut the Pragya, and the one who was trapped, who was a male, was also rescued and immediately rushed to Komfo Anokye Hospital,” he said.
The driver of the tipper truck, identified as Clement Ofori, has been taken into police custody to assist with investigations into the accident.
“He informs me that he has been driving this car from Tema, and his destination is Burkina Faso. Then when he got to the intersection, that is the Krofrom traffic intersection, he realised that the brake was faulty.
“He could no longer control the vehicle as a result of the fact that the brake was faulty. So that is how the accident occurred,” he added.
ASP Asore described the Krofrom-Tafo-Nhyiaeso stretch as a steep and heavily trafficked section of the road, adding that the police would investigate the circumstances that led to the crash.
He said drivers whose vehicles were towed away from the scene had been instructed to report to the police and provide statements as part of the investigation.
The crash resulted in severe traffic congestion along the stretch as emergency personnel and authorities worked to clear the accident scene.
