Ashanti Region: Four dead, another missing as saloon car plunges into Owabi River

Four people lost their lives after their vehicle plunged into the Owabi River near Dabaah in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District of the Ashanti Region.

The accident occurred early Tuesday (29 October) morning while the driver, her two children and two other occupants she lifted, were using the Akropong-Dabaah road.

Emergency services are currently working to retrieve the fifth victim and the vehicle from the river.

The victims have been identified. They are Helena Yassan (driver), 40, Rita Agyare 41, and Boamah Gyasi, 28. The rest are Lordina Yassan aged 10 and 5-year-old Doreen Yassan.

“In all, they are five”, said Bobie Ansah the Presiding Member at the Nwabiagya District Assembly. “It is a family of three including the woman driver and her children, a female teacher and a plumber.”

“We don’t know what caused the accident, but we got a distress call and rushed to the scene and found the car afloat. We managed to retrieve four bodies but now we are searching for one more victim which the driver’s youngest child. We have spoken with traditional authorities to perform some rituals to aid our rescue mission”.

“This is a black Tuesday for us”, Bobie said.

Meanwhile the bodies of the four victims have been deposited at the morgue for preservation and autopsy.

From January to September 2024, Ghana has witnessed the tragic loss of 1,817 lives due to road accidents, marking an 8.35% increase from the 1,677 fatalities recorded in the same period last year, according to the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA).

Interestingly, the overall number of road crashes has declined. This year, 9,820 incidents were reported, reflecting a 7.48% decrease from 10,614 in 2023.

Pearl Adusu Sateckla, the NRSA’s public relations officer who revealed this, expressed concern over the rising death toll and urged the public to adhere to traffic laws.

She highlighted that between January and September, 11,408 individuals suffered injuries in road crashes, down from 11,694 during the same period last year.

Furthermore, pedestrian incidents decreased, with 1,750 struck this year compared to 1,847 in 2023.

SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH

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