Asamankese, Sept. 18, GNA - A driver who drove carelessly and negligently caused harm to eight persons in an accident in which two of them, both school children died has been fined three million cedis by the Asamankese Circuit Court. In default, Yakubu Hamidu, who pleaded guilty, will serve 12 months in prison.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector James Bassaw said on February 24, last year, Hamidu was driving a Mazda taxicab with registration number ER 6269 J with passengers on board travelling from Akyem Bantama to Akyem Kyeremase.

On reaching a section of the road at the outskirts of Akyem Kyeremase and whilst negotiating a curve, Hamidu lost control of the vehicle and it veered off course, ran into a group of school children who were walking by the roadside, killing Sam Atta and Nancy Assimeku instantly.

Four other children and two passengers on board the taxi suffered various degrees of injuries and were conveyed to the Asamankese Government Hospital for treatment.

He said the next day, autopsy was conducted on the two dead pupils after their bodies had been identified by their relatives by Dr Albert Bow who gave the cause of their death as head injuries in the case of Sam and haemorrhage shock due to internal bleeding in Nancy's case.