A tragic accident at Ohene-Nkwanta near Konongo on the Kumasi-Accra highway led to chaotic scenes as scores of community members besieged the site to siphon diesel from a tanker truck involved in the collision.
The incident, which occurred around 7 a.m. on Saturday, involved three vehicles: a tanker truck loaded with 36,000 liters of diesel, a Toyota Camry, and a VIP-branded bus.
The head-on collision resulted in the immediate death of the Toyota Camry driver, while another occupant of the Camry, the driver of the tanker truck, and his assistant sustained injuries and were subsequently hospitalized.
Despite the presence of police and military officers, the crowd forcefully opened the compartments of the tanker truck and began siphoning the diesel.
The intervention by authorities failed to stop the looting of the fuel, highlighting the challenges faced in maintaining order at accident scenes.
The deceased and the injured were promptly attended to by emergency responders.
Officers from the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana National Fire Service faced a challenging task in clearing the accident scene and extricating the trapped bodies from the mangled wreck of the Toyota Camry.
The wreckage of the Toyota Camry and the tanker truck were later towed to the Konongo Divisional Police Command.
Asante Akim Central Municipal Fire Commander, D.O 3 Joseph Bryden, provided details of the incident to the media, stating,
“There were three casualties, two injured and one reported dead. The Konongo fire team was swift and was able to minimize carnage.”
The owner of the tanker truck, Mohammed Zakaria, expressed his distress over the incident, noting the significant loss incurred from the diesel siphoning.
He described the act as unfortunate, unable to immediately quantify the financial impact.
This tragic accident underscores the need for stronger measures to secure accident scenes and prevent such occurrences in the future.
The community's response, while driven by the lure of free fuel, resulted in a significant loss for the tanker truck owner and added to the chaos of an already devastating event.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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