At least 62 die as bus, truck crash in Ghana

KINTAMPO , Ghana, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- A collision between a bus and a truck killed at least 62 people in northern Ghana, officials said.

The packed Metro Mass Transit bus, traveling north to Tamale on the Kintampo-Tamale highway from the city of Kumasi, struck a cargo truck head-on Wednesday evening near the town of Kintampo.

A number of passengers, including children, died at the scene, and at least 23 were hospitalized, Ghanaian radio station Peace FM reported, citing a statement by Oswusu Fosu of the Kintampo hospital.

A passenger told police the bus had brake problems, the Ghanaian website Joy News reported.

The bus driver, who died in the collision, stopped to fix the problem but an arriving mechanic failed to solve the problem and the driver continued the trip with faulty brakes. The brakes failed as the bus attempted to negotiate a curve, and the bus struck the truck, the passenger said.

Rescue and emergency crews worked for hours to free trapped passengers.