A heavy cloud of grief descended on the Obogu community in the Asante Akyem South District of the Ashanti Region as 16 young members of the Saviour Church of Ghana were laid to rest in a mass burial ceremony following a tragic road accident earlier this week.
The deceased, all part of the church’s youth ministry, were among 18 passengers who lost their lives on Monday, July 28, when the bus transporting them from a church congress in Koforidua collided head-on with a fuel tanker along the Juaso-Nkawkaw stretch of the Accra-Kumasi highway.
The tanker is believed to have suffered a tyre burst while overtaking, leading to the devastating crash.
The emotional funeral, held in Obogu, drew hundreds of mourners including families, church elders, and sympathizers from across the region.
In a heart-wrenching moment of unity and sorrow, 15 of the victims were buried together in a single communal grave.
The only child among the victims was buried separately, a symbol of both innocence and the weight of the tragedy.
“This is a loss beyond words,” said church elder Mr. Boateng Asumadu. “These young lives were full of purpose and promise. Their absence leaves a void that will be deeply felt by the church and the entire community.”
Investigations into the accident are ongoing, with renewed calls from local leaders for stricter road safety enforcement to prevent future tragedies.