It was a run for your life affair, when a Metro Mass Transit (MMT) bus transporting seventy-eight prayer warriors caught fire at Ayigya in the Oforikrom Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The nocturnal accident, which occurred adjacent the Ayigya Police Station, saw the prayer warriors, who were on their way to a prayer camp at Adadientem in the Ejisu Municipality in the Ashanti Region, resorting to serious prayers, including speaking in tongues.
Information available to this paper has it that some of the victims, who were terrified by the incident, managed to escape through the shutters of the bus, with a registration number of GS3611 Z. Speaking to the Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana National Fire Service, DO3 Peter Osei Addai, he explained that at about 18:36 hours GMT on Monday evening, they had a distress call that an MMT bus had caught fire, so they rushed to the scene.
According to Osei Addai, when the fire officers got to the scene, they observed that a Metro Mass Transit coach had been engulfed in fire, but they managed to extinguish it around 18:52 pm. However, the bus was totally burnt, emphasising that the passengers were successfully rescued.
“They had about 78 passengers on the bus, who were all saved, including the driver,” he said.
Asked about the cause of the fire, DO3 Peter noted that investigations were underway to establish what triggered the fire.
He advised drivers and vehicle owners to ensure that their vehicles were always serviced and had a fire extinguisher on board.
Peter Osei Addai said: “Check your fuel lines regularly to ensure that there is no leakage. People should not smoke inside their cars; they should turn off their engines as soon as they sense [an] unusual scent in the vehicle, and that they should stop immediately if they notice smoke from the bonnet or any part of the vehicle. They should try and call the Fire Service on time for prompt response in an event they have a challenge.”
