As many as 53 people died after a head-on collision between a cargo truck and a bus in northern Ghana. The Metro Mass Transit coach reportedly crashed into a truck carrying tomatoes near the town of Kintampo, around 420 km north of capital city Accra, on Wednesday evening, Reuters reported. At least 23 people, some of whom sustained serious injuries, are being treated at a local hospital.

According to regional police chief Maxwell Atingane, many passengers died at the site of the accident. It appears that a mechanical failure on the bus led to the mishap, but police are investigating the cause nevertheless. Ghanaian website Joy News reported that a passenger told police the bus had been experiencing issues with its brake.

Passengers described the scene as “pathetic and gory”. Emergency services reportedly worked for hours to try to free passengers trapped in the wreckage. Ghanaian President John Mahama offered his condolences via Twitter to “those who've lost loved ones”.