Two people died and five others sustained injuries Thursday night after a fuel tanker collided head-on with a passenger bus at Enyiresi near Anyinam on the Accra Kumasi highway, the Ghana National Fire Service reported.
The MAN Diesel tanker carrying two occupants lost control after a tyre detached, veering into the path of an oncoming Sprinter bus transporting eight passengers. The collision left the bus completely destroyed and trapped beneath the tanker, which sustained front axle damage.
The Ghana National Fire Service Anyinam station received an emergency call at 2038 hours Thursday and arrived within seven minutes to lead rescue operations. Firefighters retrieved one female victim deceased at the scene and handed her remains to police. A second victim died later at Enyiresi Government Hospital despite medical intervention.
Five injured passengers received treatment at Enyiresi Government Hospital and Helpline Hospital in Anyinam. Medical personnel referred one seriously injured victim to St. Joseph Hospital in Koforidua for specialized care. The tanker driver and his mate escaped without injuries and are cooperating with police investigations.
Fire crews from Bunso arrived later to reinforce the rescue operation, which concluded shortly after midnight. The GNFS commended its personnel for swift response while acknowledging assistance from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department and Ghana Ambulance Service.
Preliminary assessments indicate mechanical failure caused the accident when the tanker’s tyre detached unexpectedly. The driver lost steering control as the vehicle swerved across the highway’s center line into oncoming traffic. The Sprinter bus had no opportunity to avoid collision given the sudden nature of the tanker’s path deviation.
The Enyiresi area has experienced multiple serious accidents recently. Earlier this month, a Toyota Hiace and Honda Pilot collided on December 4 at nearly the same location, killing two people and injuring 13 others. That incident involved wrongful overtaking by the Hiace driver traveling from Nkawkaw toward Accra.
The recurring accidents along this highway section have raised concerns about road safety. The Accra Kumasi highway represents Ghana’s most important transportation corridor, connecting the capital with Ashanti Region and serving as the primary route for commercial vehicles moving goods between southern ports and northern markets.
Vehicle maintenance standards remain a persistent challenge across Ghana’s transport sector. Commercial vehicles frequently operate with worn tyres, faulty brakes, and inadequate mechanical servicing. Regulatory enforcement struggles to keep pace with the volume of vehicles requiring inspection and certification.
Tanker accidents pose particular dangers due to fuel cargo creating fire and explosion risks. This incident fortunately avoided fuel spillage that could have ignited, though the trapped bus position beneath the tanker complicated rescue efforts. Firefighters worked carefully to extricate victims while monitoring for potential fuel leaks.
The Ghana National Road Safety Authority recorded 2,384 road traffic deaths during the first nine months of 2024, representing a 3.7 percent increase from 2,299 deaths during the same period in 2023. Commercial vehicle crashes account for a disproportionate share of fatalities given their involvement in long-distance travel and heavy cargo transport.
Driver fatigue contributes significantly to commercial vehicle accidents. Tanker and bus operators often work extended hours without adequate rest breaks, particularly during periods of high fuel demand or passenger travel. Pressure to complete deliveries and maximize revenue encourages risky driving practices including excessive speed and inadequate vehicle inspection.
The National Road Safety Authority has implemented various interventions including speed monitoring cameras, roadside inspections, and public education campaigns. However, enforcement challenges persist due to limited personnel, equipment constraints, and vast road network coverage requirements exceeding available resources.
Vehicle age and condition standards require stricter enforcement. Many commercial vehicles exceed recommended service life while operating with minimal maintenance. Owners prioritize profit maximization over safety investments, creating conditions where mechanical failures become increasingly likely as vehicles deteriorate.
Road infrastructure quality affects accident rates. The Accra Kumasi highway has undergone extensive rehabilitation in recent years, yet certain sections remain problematic. Inadequate lighting, poor drainage, narrow lanes, and limited emergency stopping areas contribute to accident severity when mechanical failures or driver errors occur.
Emergency response capabilities have improved substantially through Ghana Ambulance Service expansion and Fire Service equipment upgrades. Response times have decreased in many areas, enabling faster victim extraction and medical treatment. However, rural sections still experience delayed responses due to station spacing and resource distribution.
The Motor Traffic and Transport Department investigates all serious accidents to determine causes and assign responsibility. Drivers found negligent face prosecution for offenses including dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving, and vehicle defects. Conviction rates remain low due to evidentiary challenges and court system delays.
Insurance requirements mandate third-party coverage for all vehicles, yet many commercial operators maintain minimum coverage that inadequately compensates victims. Survivors of serious accidents often face financial hardship when medical expenses exceed available insurance benefits and operators lack additional resources.
Public transport regulation falls under multiple agencies including Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, National Road Safety Authority, and Motor Traffic Department. Coordination challenges sometimes create regulatory gaps where vehicles operate without proper oversight. Streamlining regulatory functions could improve compliance monitoring.
The tanker industry faces particular scrutiny given petroleum product transportation risks. Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company sets standards for fuel transport, yet private tanker operators sometimes circumvent requirements. Inadequate tanker maintenance creates risks for drivers, passengers in other vehicles, and communities along transport routes.
This accident occurred during the Christmas travel season when passenger and commercial traffic increases substantially. Highways experience congestion as urban residents travel to rural hometowns while commercial vehicles rush to complete deliveries before holiday closures. The combination of increased traffic volume and time pressure elevates accident risks.
Victim identification and family notification represent challenging aspects of accident response. The female victim retrieved at the scene required police custody pending identification and family contact. The second victim’s death at hospital allowed medical personnel to assist with family notification and death certification procedures.
The injured victims face uncertain recovery prospects depending on injury severity. One victim’s referral to Koforidua indicates serious injuries requiring specialized treatment unavailable at local facilities. Medical expenses for extended hospitalization and rehabilitation create financial burdens for families already traumatized by the accident.
The Sprinter bus destruction suggests high-impact forces consistent with head-on collision dynamics. Such crashes generate extreme deceleration causing severe trauma to occupants even when wearing seatbelts. The bus’s position trapped beneath the tanker complicated rescue efforts and likely worsened victim injuries through prolonged entrapment.
The tanker crew’s escape without injuries demonstrates how vehicle size and structural integrity affect occupant protection. Tanker cabs sit higher and feature reinforced construction compared to passenger vehicles. However, their survival also reflects fortune given the collision severity that destroyed the bus.
Police investigations will examine the detached tyre to determine whether maintenance negligence contributed to the failure. Tyre condition, pressure monitoring, and replacement schedules represent critical safety factors for commercial vehicles. Operators who defer tyre replacement to reduce costs create catastrophic failure risks.
The accident highlights ongoing tensions between transportation efficiency demands and safety requirements. Commercial operators face pressure to minimize costs and maximize trips, sometimes leading to deferred maintenance and extended driver hours. Balancing economic viability with safety compliance remains an persistent challenge across the transport sector.
Road safety advocacy groups have intensified calls for stricter enforcement and higher penalties for vehicle defects and negligent driving. They argue that current sanctions inadequately deter dangerous practices and that stronger measures could reduce Ghana’s road traffic death toll.
The Christmas season typically sees road safety campaigns intensify through public service announcements, checkpoint operations, and media coverage of accidents. Authorities hope heightened awareness will encourage safer driving practices during the high-risk holiday period.
This accident serves as a somber reminder of road travel dangers facing Ghanaians daily. While infrastructure improvements and vehicle standards have advanced, significant gaps remain in enforcement, maintenance practices, and driver behavior. Sustained multi-stakeholder efforts will be required to achieve meaningful reductions in road traffic deaths and injuries.