Four pupils of the School of Islamic Studies at Aboabo in the Asawase constituency of the Ashanti Region have been confirmed dead, with three others severely injured, after a van crashed into them while crossing the road after school.
The incident occurred on Monday after the pupils had closed and were heading home.
According to eyewitnesses, the students had crossed the first lane and were about to cross the second lane to the pavement when the speeding van ran into them.
The Headmaster of the school, Bawa Abdul-Rahman, who confirmed the incident, said he was still in his office when he was informed and rushed to the scene, but the victims had already been taken to the hospital.
“When I went there, they had already taken the students to the hospital and I followed up. As at the time I got there, four students were already dead and they took us to identify them so they could put name tags on them,” he recounted.
He said three other pupils are in critical condition and are awaiting an ambulance to be evacuated to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), as the facility where they were first admitted was overwhelmed.
Mr. Abdul-Rahman bemoaned the risky nature of the stretch where the accident occurred, noting that the school discourages students from using that route because of its slope.
“Because of the slope nature of the road, it is actually very risky and because of that we try avoiding the students from passing there. Since I came, I have not witnessed an accident of this magnitude,” he said.
The headmaster has appealed to the Municipal Assembly and relevant authorities to urgently construct a footbridge at the spot to prevent further tragedies.
