A mate of the driver of a Kia Grandbird luxury bus that burnt to ashes Friday night when it collided head-on with a trailer carrying packages suspected to be alcoholic beverages near Bono Manso on the Techiman- Kintampo highway in the Bono East region, has been recounting events just before the ghastly clash.

The crash led to five deaths, all of who were burnt, while many others were rushed to the Holy Family Hospital at Techiman. According to the police, three persons aboard the bus died while two on the trailer also died.

The mate identified only as Kofi who spoke to Adom News’ Wiafe Akenten from his hospital bed, said he and his master were returning from Tamale with passengers and were heading to Accra.

He said there were about 41 persons aboard the bus upon take-off, while they picked another passenger at Kintampo, making the number of persons aboard 42.

He said while on their way, the driver of the bus and another driver in charge of an STC bus were overtaking each other intermittently.

He said at one moment, the speeding bus lost its breaks, and as they got too close to the STC bus, his master started honking for the STC driver to make way for them to avoid running into the bus, however the STC driver did not get the signal that the Grandbird was in distress and continued its journey.

In order to avoid hitting the STC bus, the mate said his master took the opposite lane, however, just then the trailer emerged from a curve ahead. He said his master then tried to maneuver between the two buses, however the driver’s attempts failed as the bus collided with the trailer and also grazed the STC bus on its back.

According to Kofi, the driver of the trailer and another person on the trailer did not survive, while his master had his legs trapped under his steering wheel, with some of the passengers who tried to extricate him suffering fire burns as the engulfing flames swept through the bus.

Kofi said they managed to set a lot of the passengers free by breaking the windows for their escape.

Andrews Oppong, the in-charge of the shift in place when Adom News' Wiafe Akenten visited the hospital, said 18 persons were brought in Friday night, with 12 treated and discharged. Six others with more serious injuries were admitted, with the driver of the Grandbird sent to the theatre because he bore the most serious of injuries. The others, he said, had suffered burns as a result of the bus catching fire and were being taken care of at the emergency ward, describing their condition as stable.

The victims said they lost all personal belongings on them, their luggage and cash in the accident.

An elderly victim, Mr. Awudu Mumuni who said he had visited Tamale for a hospital appointment and was on his way back to Accra, said even his phone got lost in the accident, as a result of which he has not been able to reach any relative. He has not memorised the contacts of anyone whose attention he would like to draw to his predicament.