Six dead, seven injured in petrol tanker fire on Accra–Nsawam highway
A devastating fire involving a petrol tanker and several vehicles has claimed six lives and left seven others injured on the Accra–Nsawam Highway near Okanta. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, February 14, 2026, around 4:45 a.m.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) confirmed the fatalities in a statement signed by Divisional Officer Three (DO III) Ignatius K. Baidoo, Eastern Regional Public Relations Officer. According to the release, firefighters from the Suhum Fire Station responded to a distress call and arrived to find a fully developed vehicular fire.
“A total of 15 casualties were recorded (11 males and 4 females). Three (3) victims (two males, one female) tragically died at the scene, and their badly charred bodies were handed over to the Police for preservation and further investigation,” the statement said.
Three additional victims later succumbed to their injuries at the Koforidua Regional Hospital, bringing the death toll to six. The remaining injured are receiving treatment.
The fire service noted that the scale of destruction made the operation particularly challenging, as multiple vehicles were engulfed in flames before crews could bring the situation under control.
The tragedy has once again highlighted the dangers associated with transporting highly flammable materials on Ghana’s highways, where accidents often escalate into deadly infernos. Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances leading to the tanker fire, while safety advocates continue to call for stricter enforcement of road and transport regulations.
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