A child who was receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Police Hospital after Thursday’s road crash involving a school bus and a tipper truck on the Dzorwulu–Accra Mall stretch of the N1 Highway has died.
The child was among several pupils injured when a loaded tipper truck rammed into the rear of a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter school bus transporting pupils from Ask God Preparatory School.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Assistant Divisional Officer I (ADO I) Alex King Nartey, confirmed the death in a Facebook post.
He expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the deceased child to rest in peace.
The Headmaster of Ask God Preparatory School, Eyi Banful, also confirmed the death during an interview on TV3.
“I have just been to the 37 Hospital and those there are responding to treatment. I just had news from one of the parents that I have lost a student at the Police Hospital,” he said.
Mr. Banful disclosed that while some of the injured pupils who were admitted to the University of Ghana Hospital, Legon, have since been treated and discharged, others remain on admission at various health facilities receiving medical care.
He also clarified earlier reports on the number of children involved in the crash, stating that the bus was carrying significantly more pupils than initially reported.
“The children in the bus were more than 11. They were about 45 to 50,” he stated.
The accident occurred at about 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, along the Accra Mall–Dzorwulu stretch of the N1 Highway when a loaded tipper truck with registration number GN 9673-25 reportedly crashed into the rear of the school’s Mercedes-Benz Sprinter bus, registration number GT 5717-14.
Preliminary investigations indicate the pupils, believed to be between the ages of three and 10, had closed from school and were being transported from Ashaiman to various destinations in Accra when the collision occurred.
Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service and the National Ambulance Service responded swiftly to the scene, rescuing victims trapped in the damaged bus before conveying them to the Police Hospital, the 37 Military Hospital, the University of Ghana Hospital, Legon, and other medical facilities for treatment.
The circumstances leading to the crash remain under investigation.
