Man Dies With 2 Siblings On His Way To Mum’s Funeral

…Five Others Burnt To Ashes On Techiman-Kintampo Highway

The last weekend will go down as one of most tragic weekends, as scores of commuters lost their lives in road accidents on major highways, with some of them completely burning into ashes.

But the most heartbreaking was a man identified as Kofi Gyan, the executive director of Initiators of Change Foundation, who died, together with his two nieces, while travelling for his mother’s funeral in the Bono East Region.

The accident occurred on Friday, May 19, 2023, at Enyiresi in the Eastern Region, on the Accra-Kumasi highway.

According to multiple media reports, Kofi Gyan was driving a Hyundai Sonata car with registration number GS 7776-19.

The incident occurred, when he reportedly lost control of the steering wheel in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision with a sprinter bus that had made a wrongful overtaking.

In the process, the car veered off the road and landed into a river along the highway, resulting in the death of the three occupants.

Soon after the incident, a group of young men from the community had attempted to retrieve the bodies and the car from the river, but were unsuccessful until officers of the Ghana National Fire Service arrived at the scene.

Kofi Gyan, who is believed to be in his late 40s, is the eldest of his siblings and also the bread winner of his family.

He was survived by three children and a wife, who is currently working outside Ghana.

His two nieces, who died with him, are said to be his sister’s children. Beatrice Yeboah and the other, only identified as Abena, were aged between 24 and 28.

The late Kofi Gyan, who operates Initiators of Change Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO), is said to be a native of Kwabeng in the Nkoranza South Municipality in the Bono East Region.

Prior to his demise, he made a posts on his Facebook page on Thursday, May 18, announcing his mother’s funeral, before travelling the following day only to die.

In the month of May and April this year, he made several Facebook posts about his mother’s demise and funeral arrangements, while paying tribute to her.

His 75-year-old mother’s funeral was set for Saturday, May 20, 2023.

His friends and colleagues, who are devastated by the shocking news of his passing, have been mourning him on his Facebook page.

Further checks on his Facebook page revealed images of several prominent personalities he had come into contact with through the activities of his NGO, Initiators of Change Foundation.

He had photos with former President John Agyekum Kufuor and Vice President Dr.Mahamudu Bawumia, among other prominent personalities.

According to Myjoyonline.com report, the deceased is son-in-law to the Most. Rev. Dr. Robert Aboagye-Mensah, a former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana.

Five Burnt To Ashes

Meanwhile on same day, Friday night, five persons are said to have burnt to ashes in an accident near Bono Manso, a town on the Techiman-Kintampo Highway in the Bono East Region.

A speeding passenger bus heading towards Techiman from the Kintampo end is said to have caught fire soon after colliding head-on with a trailer carrying beverages suspected to be alcoholic and headed in the opposite direction.

While the police say five persons were burnt to death, three on the bus and two on the trailer, including the driver, eyewitness accounts suggest the number could be higher.

An eyewitness told Adom News’ WiafeAkenten that the bus was attempting an overtaking when it crashed with the approaching trailer, exploding into balls of fire that engulfed both vehicles, consuming both in the process, including what they alleged to be many passengers aboard the bus.

Assemblyman for the Bono Manso Electoral Area, Nabilla Francis Sayuub, who spoke from the scene of the carnage, said he was informed of the accident late Friday night and that only a handful (about four) of the passengers were rescued.

He was unsure where the bus was coming from or its destination.

The Member of Parliament for Nkoranza North, Joseph Kwasi Mensah, who also visited the scene of the accident, said he was informed about 30 people may have been burned to ashes. He appealed to drivers to be cautious and avoid speeding to preserve lives.

At SehwiJuaboso

On the Sehwi Juaboso-Afere road in the Western North Region, the accident had claimed one life and left 23 injured and receiving treatment at the Juaboso Government Hospital.

The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

According to reports, the victims were travelling from Aboaboso to Afere in the Bodi District for a funeral.

But few minutes into the entry of the Afere community, one of the back tyres of the Sprinter bus with the registration number ER- 1993 -13 burst, veering the Sprinter off the road and headed into the bush.

A young lady died on the spot and the rest, including the driver, were sent to the hospital for treatment.

Eyewitness Francis Adama revealed this is not the first time such an accident had occurred, but Saturday’s one was severe.

Source: Anchorghana.com