At least eight football players have died after the vehicle they were traveling in plunged into the River Offin in the Offinso Municipality of the Ashanti Region, the Ghana FA confirms.
The incident which occurred on the Kumasi-Kintampo stretch at about 3:30 pm Saturday has also left four persons in critical condition.
The victims, all males, were part of a 36-member team of a youth football academy in the Offinso Municipality in a KIA Peugeot minibus with registration number AS 928–19, the police said.
They were said to be returning from a registration exercise ahead of a football league at Afrancho, near Kumasi, the police said.
Police MTTD Commander for the Offinso Division DSP Edmund Nyamekye told Dailymailgh.com that the driver, 25-year-old Dwamena Michael allegedly lost control of the steering wheel and veered off the road.
“So the vehicle hit an embankment and then finally fell in the Offin River. Eight people, between the ages of 12 and 15, died on the spot and others sustained varying degrees of injuries”, narrated DSP Edmund Nyamekye, adding that four others have also been referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for further treatment.
Bodies of the deceased, according to the police chief, have since been deposited at the St. Patrick’s Hospital morgue while others are also responding to treatment.
“Initially traffic was tensed but for now the vehicle has been towed to the police station for free flow”, the MTTD Commander added.
“We are deeply saddened by the development and wish to express our condolences to the family of the deceased and a speedy recovery to the rest of the team who sustained various degrees of injuries during the accident,” the Ghana FA said in a statement.
