General News of Saturday, 10 November 2007

Source: GNA

Death toll Cape- Accra highway accident rises

Cape Coast, Nov. 10, GNA- The death toll from the collision of a 309 Benz bus and a cargo truck between Anomabu and Biriwa on the Cape Coast-Accra highway, at dawn on Thursday, has risen to four, following the death of one of the passengers, Ismalia Cofie, in hospital on Thursday evening.

The drivers of the two vehicles died on the spot and a female passenger on the bus, died on Thursday morning in hospital. The drivers of the cargo truck and Benz bus, have been identified as, Ben Sumalia, and William Baidoo, respectively, and the female passenger, as Madam Gifty Otoo.

The Saltpond District Police Commander, ASP Samuel Essel, who informed the GNA about the death of the fourth victim, on Friday, said another passenger on the bus, Iddrisu Tahiru, is at the Saltpond hospital in critical condition, while eight others who were initially sent to that hospital, have been referred to the 37 Military and Koforidua hospitals.

They are Ekua Amissah, 26, Regina Ansah, Alhassan Kourkye, 24, Kofi Mensah, 22, Peter Ananjo, Philip Ampah, 40, Joseph Twereboah, 32 and Atahiri Amadu.

He said those on admission at the central regional hospital, are Gariba Mumuni, Ahmadu Tahiru, Emmanuel Reynolds Reverend Isaac Eshun, a chaplain at the Cape Coast Technical Institute and Ruth Cofie. According to ASP Essel, the police are still investigating the cause of the accident which happened when the cargo truck with registration number GR 8758H traveling from the Mankessim direction towards Cape Coast, reportedly veered off its lane and collided head-on with the Benz bus with registration number AS5898F, which was traveling towards the opposite direction.