AMANSIE ACCIDENT_DRIVER AND MATE ARREST OVER THE DEATH OF 3 CHILDREN

The driver and mate of the 207 Mercedes-Benz bus that caught fire at Huu in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region have been detained.

According to the Assembly Member of Huu Electoral Area, Mr Daniel Agyenim, the two who were arrested on Wednesday, June 14 2023, are in police custody, assisting the police with investigations.

On Tuesday, three children of the  Beginners Education Complex reportedly died on their way home when the bus conveying them caught fire.

Mr Daniel Agyenim noted that some thieves had gone to steal the battery of the school bus that dawn and so the next day, the bus could not pick and send the children home.

He said even in the morning, the school arranged for an “Aboboyaa” to pick some of the children up in the morning to school.

However, after closing, the school handed over the children to the teachers to help them reach their homes.

The teacher handling the children in question begged the driver of the Benz Bus to pick the children who were 12 in number.

Mr Daniel Agyenim said aside from loading passengers, the driver had loaded gallons of fuel belonging to a passenger on top of the bus.

The fuel, he explained was going to be sold in bits to farmers in the community as that was their usual way of purchasing the product.

At Huu where the incident occured, the driver’s mate was offloading the fuel when it slipped and the cover opened.

He said the fuel then spilled on the engine and the vehicle immediately caught fire.

Mr. Daniel Agyenim reported that as soon as the vehicle caught fire, nearby residents and passersby raced to the scene to open the vehicle’s gate and rescue the majority of the children.

Unfortunately, he said, by the time they had to rescue the three children, the fire had intensified and the rescuers were unable to enter the vehicle, resulting in the children’s deaths.

Mr Daniel Agyenim also noted that a mobile money outlet close to the scene was burnt to ashes.

Aside from that, he also said three motorbikes and some telecom masts and ‘high tension wires’ were burnt.

He said the Assembly and the school were going to speak with parents of the deceased children to plan when and where to bury them.

Meanwhile he said ECG went to the scene on Wednesday to assess the situation.