Collision on Wednesday night was one of country’s worst road accidents in years

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A bus has collided with a truck in northern Ghana, killing at least 53 people.

The government-operated bus was heading to Tamale when it collided head-on with the cargo truck, which was carrying tomatoes, near the the town of Kintampo on Wednesday evening.

A regional police spokesman, Christopher Tawiah, said: “It was very serious … we had to use chainsaws to cut through parts of the mangled bus to get bodies and survivors out.”

He added that 23 people were receiving treatment in hospital as a result of the crash, believed to be one of the worst in many years. The cause of the collision is unknown, but police say both vehicles may have been speeding.

Ghana’s president, John Dramani Mahama, said the incident was “sad news” and sent his condolences to victims’ families in a series of tweets.