Five members of the New Asomaso Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the Ashanti region have been confirmed dead in an accident on the Kumasi-Techiman Road.

The deceased include a student of Atebubu College of Education, who is a friend to a newly-wedded couple and four elderly women.

They were among a delegation returning from a marriage ceremony at Ofuman near Tuobodum, when the tragedy occurred on Christmas Day.

An elder of the church and a passenger, Daniel Agyeman Duah, told Nhyira FM's Ohemeng Tawiah, that despite counsel from some passengers to slow down, the driver threw caution to the wind and got spurred on by some women in the bus to speed up.

The accident occurred after the driver of the already overloaded vehicle panicked and slammed the brakes after it burst a back tyre, causing the vehicle to somersault.

Two women passengers were thrown out of the overspeeding bus and died instantly.

About 15 others, including the driver of the Swansong mini bus, are receiving treatment at the Techiman Holy Family Hospital.