Six Dead, Seven Injured in Accra-Nsawam Highway Petrol Tanker Fire
GNFS confirms six dead and seven injured after petrol tanker fire on Accra-Nsawam Highway
- Petrol tanker fire kills six, injures seven near Okanta on Accra-Nsawam Highway.
- Fire involved tanker, VIP bus, three cars, and four motorcycles; controlled using foam.
- Preliminary investigations link blaze to sparks from illegal fuel siphoning attempts.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has confirmed six fatalities and seven injuries following a petrol tanker fire on the Accra-Nsawam Highway near Okanta in the early hours of Saturday, 14 February 2026.
The fire, which broke out around 4:45 a.m., claimed three lives at the scene and three more at Koforidua Regional Hospital. According to Ignatius K. Baidoo, firefighters from the Suhum Fire Station arrived to find a fully developed vehicular blaze. A total of 15 casualties were recorded, including 11 males and 4 females.
The fire involved a petrol tanker carrying roughly 54,000 litres of fuel, a VIP bus, three cars, and four motorcycles—all engulfed and extensively damaged. Reinforcements from Bunso Fire Station helped control the blaze using foam compounds, bringing it under control at 8:24 a.m. and extinguishing it completely by 11:08 a.m.
Twelve injured persons were initially taken to Nsawam Hospital. Two were discharged, while ten were referred to Koforidua Regional Hospital. Three of the critical patients later died, leaving seven survivors—two male children, four adult males, and one adult female—receiving treatment.
Preliminary investigations suggest sparks from illegal fuel siphoning attempts may have ignited petrol vapours, triggering the fire. The GNFS warned the public against siphoning fuel, describing it as illegal and extremely dangerous, and urged people to stay clear of accident scenes and alert emergency services immediately.
The Eastern Regional Command expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, while calling for public cooperation to improve fire safety in the region.
