Seventeen persons have been confirmed dead in an accident on the Buipe-Tamale highway in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region.

The accident occurred at Mile 40 ( Sarekyekura) near Fulfulso on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at about 12:12am.

The deceased include 12 males, four females and a child.

Sixteen out of the 17 reported died on the spot while another died at the Holistic Medicare Hospital at Buipe.

The accident involved two Yutong buses with over a total of 108 passengers on board both buses.

The buses with registration numbers GT 3345-16 and AC 1699-20 were travelling from Kumasi to Zebila and from Garu to Kumasi respectively when they ran into each other.

The bodies of the deceased persons who are yet to be identified, have  been deposited at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) mortuary.

The injured, numbering about 90, were sent to the Buipe Polyclinic and Holistic Medicare Hospital at Buipe and the TTH.

The Savannah Regional Fire Commander, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO), Mr Kwasi Baffour-Awuah who confirmed the accident to Graphic Online said the Buipe Fire Station received a distress call at 12.46am and arrived at the accident scene at 1.20am.

He said with assistance from colleagues from the Damongo Fire Station, they were able to rescue some of the injured persons who had been trapped in the buses.

According to him, the drivers of the two buses were among the deceased persons.