Six persons were confirmed dead on the spot on Sunday, when a bus with registration number  GT1089F was involved in head-on-collision with a saloon car  with registration number GT2769X at about 1700 hours.

The deceased were; Nana Ndanka Francis, a 68-year-old retired soldier, Nashie Bintu 30, Maria 16, Atisu Yakubu 5, Yawsa Musa 4 and Abibata Yakubu 3. The bodies have been deposited at morgue of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

Northern Regional Commander of the Motor, Traffic and Transport Unit, Superintendant Godwin Cashman Blewushie told the Ghana News Agency that the bus was travelling towards Kumasi from Bolgatanga while the saloon car was returning to Tamale from Kusawgu in Central Gonja District, after an outdooring ceremony.

He said police received a distressed call about the incident and moved into the scene few kilometres away from Sankpala on the Tamale-Kumasi highway.

“When we got to the accident scene, the six occupants of the mangled car were trapped under the bus and we called in personnel of Ghana National Fire Service who came to cut the car open before we could retrieve the bodies,” he said.

Supt Blewushie said none of the passengers on the bus was injured but the driver, Yakubu Mohammed, a middle-aged man was arrested and placed in police custody for further investigations.