Man feared dead as truck plunges into River Densu
A 33-year-old man is feared dead after a tipper truck loaded with stones and sand on which he was plunged into the Densu River at Ashalaja, near Amasaman in Accra, last Tuesday.
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The man, Nii Annan, was in the company of the driver of the truck, identified only as Ashaley, 35, at the time of the incident at about 8 p.m.
The 22-cubic-feet tipper truck submerged when it plunged into the river, following the collapse of the Bailey bridge it was crossing.
Some residents of the area who rushed to the scene immediately after the incident managed to rescue Ashaley, whose whereabouts were not known as of press time.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Amasaman District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Elvis Bawa Sandongo, said the tipper truck was travelling from Amasaman towards Ashalaja and on reaching the middle of the Bailey bridge on the Densu River, the bridge caved in.
The bridge connects Ashalaja and Ayikai Doblo to adjoining communities in the Ga West Municipality.
Mr Sandongo explained that the bridge, which was about 60 feet in length, was constructed by Field Engineers of the Ghana Armed Forces for temporary use and had become weak as a result of the abuse of its weight limitation.
Abuse of weight limitation
According to Mr Sandongo, disregard for weight limitation in the use of the bridge “has caused structural defects to it, leading to the accident”.
He said that due to the structural defects, tipper trucks carrying loads were banned from using the bridge.
Mr Sandongo said after the bridge had caved in, some parts of the truck were initially visible, before it completely submerged.
Intervention
Meanwhile, a rescue operation is underway.
The officer in charge of the rescue mission, Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Nyuur, said divers had been able to identify the vehicle and were looking for a part they could hook onto a towing car.
As of press time, some local people were helping the police, the military and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the rescue operation.