A collision between a bus travelling to Accra and an articulated truck killed 16 people shortly before dawn on Thursday, police said.

"It was horrific. There were severed limbs and blood everywhere. The bus was destroyed," said Emmanuel Bosso, chief superintendent in Akuse, in Ghana's Eastern Region.

Two of the 16 passengers on the bus survived, while the truck driver and his companion were killed.

Road accidents involving packed minibuses are not uncommon in Ghana, where vehicles are often poorly maintained and drivers ignore speed restrictions, but the death toll is rarely so high.