Eleven pupils are receiving treatment at the 37 Military Hospital after a school bus transporting them was involved in a road crash with a tipper truck on the N1 Highway at Dzorwulu on July 30.
Some of the children are reported to have sustained critical injuries, while others are being treated for varying degrees of trauma.
The injured pupils were rushed to the 37 Military Hospital, where medical personnel immediately began administering emergency care.
The incident drew anxious parents and relatives to the hospital, many of whom waited for hours for updates on the condition of their children.
The victims have been identified as pupils of Ask God International School, located at Adjei Kojo in the Tema West Municipality. The children were reportedly returning home from school when the crash occurred.
Although the exact circumstances leading to the collision remain under investigation, preliminary information indicates that the school bus was involved in a collision with a tipper truck along the busy stretch of the N1 Highway.
At the time of filing this report, the identity of the tipper truck driver had not been confirmed by authorities. However, the driver of the school bus has been identified as the headteacher of Ask God International School.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, visited the injured pupils at the 37 Military Hospital on the instructions of President John Dramani Mahama.
During the visit, the Minister interacted with parents and hospital officials and assured families that the government would bear the full cost of medical treatment for all the injured children.
She also called on the Ghana Police Service to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the crash and ensure that anyone found culpable is held accountable in accordance with the law.
Parents who spoke to the media expressed shock and concern over the incident, with many calling for improved road safety measures to protect schoolchildren and stricter enforcement of traffic regulations involving heavy-duty vehicles.
Road crashes involving schoolchildren continue to raise concerns over road safety in Ghana, particularly on major highways where commercial and heavy-duty vehicles share the road with passenger and school transport.
By the time this report was filed, officials of Ask God International School had not commented on the incident despite several attempts by the news team to obtain their response.
Police are expected to provide further details as investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
By Joseph Armstrong Gold-Alorgbey
