Fear gripped residents of Tafo Zongo in Kumasi around 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, when a trotro lost its brakes and sped uncontrollably down the steep road from Tafo Methodist Church towards Zamfara.

People ran in all directions as the vehicle picked up speed.

The trotro with registration number AS 9990-10 shot straight into the 45 Mosque and slammed into the section where worshippers perform ablution.

Part of the mosque was left damaged, but no injuries were recorded.

Eyewitnesses described the moment as terrifying. A man who had been lying down exactly where the vehicle landed escaped only because people screamed for him to run.

Residents say this is the fifth time a brake-failure accident has happened on the same stretch. In one earlier incident, a young boy was knocked down and killed on the spot.

Locals say they are tired, frustrated, and scared because the problem keeps happening.

The driver, 25-year-old Amampanah Ayimini, said he had closed for the day and had dropped his conductor near the Methodist Church to buy something.

He said he was just driving down to use the washroom when his brakes suddenly failed.

“There is nothing wrong with the car. When it happened, even the gear wasn’t working,” he said.

The old trotro was left badly damaged, with its interior showing signs of wear before the crash.

Residents say the road is dangerous due to its steep descent and heavy pedestrian traffic in the evenings. They are calling for stronger speed bumps to slow vehicles and prevent future tragedies.

“We never knew a car could crash into this place. Luckily, the children had not been dismissed from their evening Islamic studies. It would not have been good news,” one resident said.

More than five hours later, people were still at the scene, discussing how to prevent another accident and protect lives in the community.