The bodies of the five pupils of Ampeah Memorial School in Nkawkaw who died in a fatal motor accident on the Nkawkaw section of the Kumasi-Accra road have been laid to rest.
The funeral ceremony was held at the Nkawkaw community durbar grounds, today, February 23, 2024.
The deceased were laid in white coffins, with their names and ages inscribed on each coffin.
The deceased are; 4-year-old Archer Biney, 7-year-old Jerome Harmenu, 12-year-old Kwasi Nyarko Larry, 3-year-old Gafatsi Marcus; and 8-year-old Asare Joseph.
Family and friends of the children could not hold back their tears when the bodies were laid at the Nkawkaw community durbar grounds for a final farewell.
The schoolchildren met their untimely deaths on Thursday, February 15, 2024, when a Nissan Patrol vehicle said to be the official vehicle of the District Chief Executive for Atwima Kwanwoma District Chief Executive in the Ashanti region, Prince Karikari, crashed into the Hyundai minibus which was sending the schoolchildren home.
Eyewitnesses say the Hyundai minibus driver attempted an unapproved U-turn while driving on the shoulders of the road from the Accra-Kumasi direction at a spot near Nanchia.
Nkawkaw Accident: Funeral of the pupils pic.twitter.com/yWhpBoJuAn
— The Ghana Report (@theghana_report) February 23, 2024
Four of the victims, including a female teacher identified as Dorcas Dede, died while receiving treatment at the Holy Family Hospital at Nkawkaw after being rushed there.
The fourth and fifth pupils who died later were among the victims who were transferred to the Koforidua hospital for further treatment.
The accident occurred at about 3:30 p.m. At the time the victims, pupils of Ampeah Memorial School and their teachers, numbering about twenty-three, including the driver identified as Agya Ofosu Addo, were returning home after the close of school.
Eyewitnesses say the minibus driver, with registration GE 2291-10, used an unapproved route to join the Nkawkaw bypass at Nanchia after joining the dual carriage highway. He is said to have driven on the shoulders of the road before making the unapproved turn.
Agya Ofosu Addo suddenly made a U-turn to join the Kumasi-Accra lanes. In the process of making the U-turn, the DCE’s vehicle, with registration number GT 8455-19, which was then descending a hilly portion from the Accra-Kumasi direction of the highway, crashed into the bus.
Sixteen of the victims, including the driver of the bus, 11 pupils, and a female teacher, were all rushed to the Holy Family Hospital at Nkwakaw for emergency treatment.