E/R: Methodist Church members involved in accident, one dead

A tragic road accident on the Asesewa–Abuosso road in the Upper Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region has claimed the life of one person and left several others critically injured. The victims were members of the Susana Wesley Mission Auxiliary Mission (SUWMA) of the Methodist Church in Prampram.

According to reports, the group was returning from a tourism trip to Boti Falls on the evening of Friday, June 6, 2025, when their bus, with registration number GR 6056-N, collided head-on with an Opel Astra taxi cab. The crash occurred near the Abuatsam community and is believed to have been caused by a brake failure.

The impact of the collision was severe. The bus, which was carrying 26 church members, veered off the road and plunged into a nearby valley. One person died instantly at the scene, and many others suffered serious injuries.

Emergency response efforts were significantly delayed due to poor road conditions and a lack of functioning logistics. The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Asesewa Police Command was unable to reach the crash site with its patrol vehicle. To make matters worse, the district’s only ambulance was grounded due to engine problems. As a result, emergency responders had to arrange for an ambulance from Koforidua to transport the injured.

One of the survivors of the crash shared her account of the terrifying experience. She explained that the driver had taken an unfamiliar route and was driving at high speed, even though passengers noticed a burning smell coming from the brake pads.

“We realized we had missed our way, but the driver insisted he knew the route since he often drives to Agormanya. He was speeding, so I even told him to slow down since the brake pad was smelling. So all that I saw was he collided into a taxi,” the survivor recounted.

Local residents, including farmers and passersby, quickly rushed to the scene to help rescue those trapped in the wreckage. Their efforts were crucial in pulling victims from the damaged bus while waiting for medical support.

Billy Paul, the Asesewa branch station master of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), visited the crash site and described the horrific condition of the victims.

“Unless God intervenes, the woman with the wedding ring, who suffered severe facial and head injuries, may not survive,” he told local media.

Medical staff at the Asesewa Government Hospital have been working tirelessly to stabilise the injured. Several victims remain in critical condition, and arrangements are being made to transfer the most severely injured to better-equipped facilities for further treatment.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident, focusing on the condition of the bus and the decisions made by the driver before the crash.