Six persons have died on the spot in a fatal accident on the Odweanoma mountains at Kwahu-Atibie in the Eastern Region on Tuesday evening.

One person according to reports is in critical condition at the Atibie government hospital.

The six were returning from a funeral they attended last week at Forifori in the Afram Plains District, when the Hyundai truck with registration number GE 5638- 19, had a brake failure, while descending from Atibie to Nkawkaw.

The car somersaulted several times in the process which resulted in the loss of lives.

The deceased include; four men, a four-year-old boy and a female. The situation caused a gridlock on the stretch, but the swift response of the Kwahu West Ghana National Fire Service, led by Divisional Officer Grade 3, Kwakye Addo, managed to tow the vehicle from the middle of the road.

The Nkawkaw Commander of the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department, MTTD, DSP Foster Asante, who spoke to journalists, advised drivers, particularly first time users of the road who are not familiar with the terrain, to seek assistance from other drivers when approaching the mountains.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver’s brakes failed, and in an attempt to prevent the vehicle from falling off into the ditch, he tried to use the concrete wall, but unfortunately, the vehicle somersaulted several times, and in the process we lost those lives”.

“Our advice to drivers who are not familiar with the mountainous route is that they should just ask drivers in Nkawkaw for assistance when they want to climb, or call on drivers in Mpraeso to help them descend. They can use the Obo stretch if they feel the Atibie route is very steep, and when they do we can avoid these accidents”.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the victims have been deposited at the Atibie Government Hospital for preservation.