Obogu Buries Church Family Lost on Kumasi Road

A single trench became a communal tomb on Wednesday as sixteen members of the Saviour Church of Ghana were laid to rest side by side, victims of a collision that has stunned the township and triggered fresh debate on highway safety.

The crash happened Monday at 2:30 p.m. on the Atwedie stretch of the Kumasi-Accra highway. Witnesses say a fuel tanker veered into oncoming traffic and slammed head-on into the minibus carrying worshippers home from the church’s annual convention in the Eastern Region. All on board the minibus died at the scene.

On Wednesday, hundreds of mourners—clad in mourning red and black—took turns with shovels, digging the broad grave that now holds the entire group. The mass burial, led by church elders, was described as “a covenant of unity that even death could not break.” Tears mixed with hymns as families filed past the mound, laying wreaths and whispering final farewells.

The road remains perilous, residents say. Speed bumps are faded, and heavy trucks often bypass weigh stations. Local leaders are now calling for urgent resurfacing and stricter enforcement to prevent another collective funeral.

For Obogu, the silence after the drums is the loudest sound.