2025 Review: The 5 Devastating Transport Disasters That Rocked Ghana
YEN.com.gh looks back on some of the worst transport tragedies Ghana dealt with in 2025
The August 6 helicopter crash was arguably the biggest story in 2025 because it led to the death of two ministers, among eight fatalities in all.
It also had the distinction of being an air transport disaster, a rare occurrence in Ghana.
Source: Facebook
However, Ghana's roads still saw increased road crashes, several of which were deadly.
As of November 2025, GNA reported that 2,673 people died in road crashes between January and November 2025, representing an 18.5% increase compared with the same period in 2024.
Like most years, there was also a significant tragedy that occurred on the water.
Ghana's 5 worst transport incidents in 2025
Kete Krachi boat capsizes
The joint highest death toll from a transport disaster came on water.
15 people, including 11 children aged between 2 and 14, died in a boat accident that occurred near Kete Krachi on October 11.
Four adults also lost their lives, while four survivors were rescued.
Source: Facebook
According to a statement issued by the Ghana Maritime Authority, the boat, which was reportedly overloaded, capsized while crossing the Volta Lake.
The boat was also noted to lack life jackets, prompting calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations.
Church youth perish on Accra-Kumasi highway
Like the Kete Krachi boat disaster, 15 people died in a road crash on the Juaso-Nkawkaw stretch of the Accra-Kumasi highway.
Also, like the boat disaster, most of the dead in this case were children who were all youth members of the Obogu Saviour Church.
Among those killed were the children of the church's head pastor, with Sompa FM sharing photos from the crash site on Facebook.
Source: UGC
The crash occurred when an oncoming fuel tanker travelling from the Kumasi-Accra direction collided head-on with the Ford Transit bus transporting the youth after it burst a tyre while trying to overtake a vehicle
Triple jeopardy in the Central Region
Eight people died following a crash involving a minibus, a long bus, and a saloon car at New Ayaase in the Adansi-Fomena District on the afternoon of April 22, 2025.
The crash occurred when the Sprinter bus, travelling from Kumasi to Fosu, attempted a dangerous overtaking of a Toyota Corolla heading towards Fomena.
In the process, the sprinter collided head-on with an oncoming long bus from Kumasi, forcing the Corolla to veer off the road uncontrollably.
More deaths on the Accra-Kumasi road
Seven people lost their lives in a crash that occurred at Nkawada No. 2 on the Nkawkaw–Accra highway, following a collision between two vehicles.
The incident, which happened on August 26, involved a passenger Sprinter bus that had picked up travellers from Somanya in the Eastern Region and was en route to Sefwi in the Western North Region.
The bus collided head-on with an oncoming cargo truck, killing six passengers on the spot, with a seventh person dying after being transported to the hospital.
Several others also sustained injuries in the crash and were rushed for medical care.
Road carnage near Suhum
11 persons were confirmed dead following a road crash at Amanase, near Suhum, along the Accra-Kumasi Highway, in the Eastern Region.
The crash occurred early on the morning of April 22 and involved a fuel tanker and a Sprinter bus.
Preliminary police reports at the time indicated that the fuel tanker driver veered off his lane into the path of the oncoming bus.
The head-on collision claimed the lives of two women and nine men on impact, with several others sustaining life-threatening injuries.
Road crash data in Ghana from 2025
GNA reported that 13,320 road traffic crashes were recorded during the period, involving 22,532 vehicles of all categories, including private, commercial and motorcycles, resulting in 15,173 injuries.
It also noted that cases reported, vehicles involved, persons injured and pedestrian knockdowns increased by 7.3%, 6.4%, 5.7% and 4.7% respectively, compared with the same period last year.
Of the total crashes, 47 %(6,213) were minor, 36 %(4,873) were serious, and 17% (2,234) were fatal.
The report defined fatal crashes as incidents resulting in at least one death within 30 days, serious crashes as requiring hospitalisation exceeding 24 hours, and minor crashes as involving less than 24-hour hospitalisation or no injuries.
A total of 2,312 pedestrians were knocked down between January and November 2025, representing a 4.7 % increase from 2,208 in the same period in 2024, with May recording the highest number of pedestrian knockdowns at 265 cases.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
