9 Mourners die in accident near Berekum
Biadan, near Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region, has been thrown into a state of mourning following the death of nine mourners in a gory accident as they were returning from a funeral at Wamahinso in the Asutifi North District.
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Fourteen others got injured in the accident, which occurred at Amanfoso, near Nsoatre on the Sunyani-Berekum highway about 5:30 p.m.last Saturday.
The deceased, made up of five males and four females, have been identified as Michael Bediako, Issifu Kramo, Braimah Kramo and Rose Tawiah, 42, who died with her daughter, Abenaa Foriwaa.
The rest are Auntie Mary, 75, who died along with her 42-year-old daughter, identified only as Ataa, Kwasi Gyedu, alias Akakpo, 61, and Afia Charity, 52.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent of Police Ms Stella Sedame, who confirmed the accident in an interview, stated that the injured were currently receiving treatment at the Berekum Holy Family Hospital, while the bodies of the deceased had been deposited at the Sunyani Regional Hospital mortuary.
According to her, the accident occurred when the driver of the Sprinter Bus, with registration number BA 2423 – 12, on which they were travelling, is said to have lost control of the vehicle when it burst one of its rear tyres and ran into a valley.
A rescue team was dispatched to retrieve the bodies and send the injured to hospital.
Biadan community
The entire Biadan community was adorned in red and black, amid wailing and the singing of dirges when the Daily Graphic visited the town.
There was a joint family gathering on a school park where hundreds of sympathisers had converged to mourn with the affected families.
With many people sitting with their hands supporting their chins, it was clear that some families had been hard hit by the accident, as investigations revealed that one family lost as many as three people, while other families lost two.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Assembly Member for Biadan East, Mr Wonder Amo Appau, explained that the victims were returning from Wamahinso where they had attended the funeral of the mother of a former assembly member for Biadan.
He added that all the 23 people on board the vehicle were from Biadan and that the accident had greatly affected the entire community.
He explained that three siblings, Bediako, Issifu and Braimah, lost their lives, while Rose also died with her daughter, Foriwaa.
For his part, Mr George Hinneh, the Assembly Member for Biadan West, disclosed that the mass funeral of the nine deceased had been fixed for Friday, May 26, 2017.
He described the accident as “the first tragedy of its kind” to befall the town, adding that the entire community had decided to come together to support the affected families.
Accident scene
When the Daily Graphic visited the accident scene at Amanfoso, personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) were getting ready to tow the mangled vehicle from the valley in which it had landed.
Officials of the GNFS and some people who wanted to reach the exact spot where the bus landed had to walk a little distance before being able to descend into the valley.
Items belonging to the victims, including their footwear, were scattered at the scene.