Five people, including security personnel, sustained critical injuries after a Kia Rhino truck loaded with plantains collided with a commercial passenger vehicle at the Asafo Labour Roundabout in Kumasi on Monday morning.
The victims were rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), where they are receiving treatment.
Preliminary information indicates that the truck was travelling from the Amakom direction when it reportedly developed brake failure while approaching the busy roundabout.
The driver is said to have lost control of the vehicle before crashing into a commercial vehicle heading from the Kejetia direction.
An eyewitness, Yaw Gabriel, said the driver’s attempt to steer the truck away from the main traffic flow may have prevented a more catastrophic incident.
“If the truck had continued straight, it would have been a completely different situation because there was heavy traffic ahead. It could have crashed into several vehicles and caused multiple deaths,” he said.
The collision left the commercial vehicle extensively damaged, trapping some of the occupants inside. Residents, traders and other bystanders joined emergency responders to rescue the victims.
“It was painful to see people trapped inside the vehicle, crying for help. We had to cut through the driver’s side of the vehicle before rescuing the driver,” another eyewitness recounted.
Personnel from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service responded to the scene to manage traffic and supervise the removal of the damaged vehicles, which caused temporary congestion along the stretch.
The Manhyia MTTD Commander, DSP Docars Kyei Mensah, confirmed that five people sustained injuries in the crash and were receiving treatment at the emergency centre of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
“The driver of the commercial car was in critical condition, but he is now responding to treatment. We are currently gathering information to establish the cause of this road crash at the Labour Roundabout,” DSP Kyei Mensah said.
Meanwhile, several women from the Aboabo Market converged at the accident scene after learning that some of the victims were believed to be fellow traders returning from Asante Akyem with a consignment of plantains.
The women identified the injured traders as colleagues from the market and helped collect the plantains scattered across the road after the crash.
Police have commenced investigations into the accident to determine the exact circumstances leading to the collision.
