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Four persons, out of six people were seriously injured in an accident that involved two vehicles in a convoy of the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, on the Yendi road in the Northern Region.

The accident, involving a Toyota Hilux pick-up with registration number, GV 63-14, and a Tata Suma vehicle with registration number, GC 4425-09, occurred at about 12:20 p.m on Thursday at the outskirts of Yendi town. Four of the victims sustained serious injuries and are said to be in critical conditions, according to a police source. The victims are currently receiving treatment at the Yendi hospital.

The Toyota Hilux was carrying some staff of the Northern Regional Department of social welfare. Some of the injured victims are Evan Ofoe, the driver of the Tata Suma, Iddrisu Sumaila, Gloria Garba and Samuel Owusu Acheampong, the other driver. Narrating the incident to Graphic Online’s Northern region reporter, Zadok Kwame Gyesi, one of the victims, Gloria Garba, said the accident occurred when the driver of the Tata Suma vehicle, Evans Ofoe, attempted to overtake the Toyota Hilux in the convoy.

She said the right front tyre of the Tata Suma vehicle hit the back side of the Toyota Hilux and in the process, the two vehicles collided and somersaulted several times The Toyota Hilux in the process hit and uprooted a shea nut tree. Before the accident, the minister had gone to Nadundo community in the Mion District, to check on the beneficiaries of the LEAP programme and was on her way to the Nyani Tindag Witches Camp in the Yendi Municipal Assembly to donate some items to the camp.

In a related development, the vehicle carrying the media personnel on the convoy also had an accident and knocked down a five-year-old girl in the process when it was returning from the witches camp. The girl, who critically got injured, was sent to the Tamale Teaching Hospital for medical care. None of the journalists got injured.