Seven people died and dozens sustained injuries in separate road accidents yesterday when a commercial bus travelling from Techiman to Kumasi collided with a broken-down cement trailer near Samproso and Awisam on the Offinso-Abofuor highway in the Ashanti Region.
Eyewitnesses said the trailer, with registration number GT 5509-20, lost ignition while attempting to join the main road, leaving the bus, GN 5326-22, no chance to swerve, resulting in the collision.
The impact destroyed the bus beyond recognition, killing seven passengers and leaving dozens in critical condition. Survivors were rushed to the Offinso Saint Patrick Hospital, as police secured the accident scene.
Just two days earlier, on Monday, January 5, 2026, an okada rider in his late 20s was killed instantly at Suame-Maakro after being trapped and pulled under a trailer loaded with soya beans (GT-1963-13). Eyewitnesses described the accident as gruesome, with the rider's body mutilated. Residents blamed the poor state of the under-construction road for repeated crashes and called on authorities to expedite the works to prevent further tragedies.
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The spate of accidents within just one week has reignited calls for stricter enforcement of traffic regulations, improved road infrastructure, and heightened public awareness. Communities across Ashanti are united in grief but also in their demand for change.
As one resident at Suame-Maakro lamented, "This is not the first time. We have seen dozens of accidents here, but this time we are not lucky; a soul is gone."
The rising toll in the opening days of 2026 is a stark reminder that without swift intervention, Ghana's highways will continue to claim innocent lives, according to Ms Evelyn Osei-Wusu, a housemistress at Sunyani Senior High School.
