Six passengers are reported to have burned to death when a bus travelling from Lawra in the Upper West region caught fire after being involved in an accident at a Police checkpoint in Akomadan.

According to the Police, 22 others are receiving treatment after they sustained various degrees of injury.

Narrating what happened, a source said the vehicle with 37 passengers on board crashed into an abandoned vehicle at the Police checkpoint.

One of the passengers, identified only as Kwasi, who managed to escape from the vehicle before it caught fire, said the driver failed to apply the brakes because he was driving at top speed.

“Because he was on top speed, he couldn’t brake immediately and crashed into a stationary vehicle at the barrier resulting in the accident and subsequently burst into flames,” he narrated.

“The impact of the crash was great so most of us who were sleeping woke up and started calling for help when the fire started from the front…,” he said.

He added that only about 10 passengers managed to escape through the glass window.

“When we got to Techiman, about 10 passengers alighted and two more persons joined the bus, so we were close to 36 because the bus takes about 40 passengers…,” he added.

Eyewitnesses say their distress calls to the nearby National Fire Service office in the area were unanswered.