KAKATA, Margibi – Five persons have died in an accident involving two colliding vehicles traveling along the Suakoko Highway.

The accident occurred late Sunday afternoon between the Red Light to Kakata stretch of the route. Seven other occupants of the vehicles remain critically injured.

The accident involved two vehicles – a black Nissan pickup and a blue Nissan Almera sedan. Bystanders said the sedan had tried to overtake in a curve while approaching a hill around Morris’ Farm in Montserrado’s Todee district.

Immediately after the crash occurred, the injured persons were rushed to the government-run C. H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata for medical treatment. The seven who were critically injured have now been transferred to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Monrovia.

The two drivers, Kelvin Trokon Page and Anthony Konobo, were among the five deceased. Another passenger, Ezekiel Davis, was also identified among the dead. The identities of the remaining two corpses have not been released.

Kpakala Gbelema, a resident of Paynesville’s Soul Clinic community who was traveling aboard the pickup and escaped with minor injuries from the accident, said he was not aware of what caused the accident. He said he was traveling along with his wife and two other relatives who were among those critically injured.

“To my surprise, I just heard a heavy sound and I saw my wife and her sister on the ground and I quickly made my way out of the car,” Gbelema said. “As you can see, [I have a] cut under my eye.”

The black Nissan pickup. Photo: Yawah Jaivey

Police accident investigators have not yet established the cause of the accident.

Since the rehabilitation of the highway, there have been countless accidents that have claimed lives and damaged properties. Many of these accidents can be attributed to reckless driving or improperly maintained vehicles.

Featured photo courtesy of Yawah Jaivey