Explosion at gas depot in Accra kills at least 7

desmond frimpong

October 8, 2017 1:07 PM

Natural gas depot in Ghana's capital on Saturday evening exploded into a huge fireball stretching hundreds of feet into the air causing nearby residents to flee their homes in large numbers.

A huge explosion at a gas station in Ghana's capital Accra has killed at least 7 people and 132 injured, that is according to a statement from the government of Ghana.

The statement, signed by the Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, was released shortly after the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, visited victims of the accident at the 37 Military Hospital and the Police Hospital.

Out of the 132 injured persons, 64 of them have been treated and discharged, the statement said.

AnEyewitness tells that the unfortunate scene occurred on Saturday, October 7 at the MANSCO gas station at Atomic Junction(Eastern part of Accra) after a gas leakage from a tanker offloading fuel to the station travelled to react with the nearby fire from a kebab stand.

The explosion also set alight neighbouring buildings causing nearby residents to flee their homes in large numbers, he added.

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Deputy PRO of the Ghana National Fire Service Billy Anaglate tells BISSA that the blast happened at the Atomic Junction roundabout just around the University of Ghana campus at about 7:30 pm (19:30 GMT).

At least six fire trucks and more than 200 police personnel were deployed to help to douse the fire. Ambulances also arrived and those with various injuries were sent to the hospital.

Member of Parliament for the constituency Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarkospeaking to blamed the situation on the negligence of the vendors who ply their trade around that domain.

The vice president of Ghana Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who visited the scene this morning assured of radical policies in the coming days to deal with the rampant gas explosions in the country.

“This is one too many. This is about the eighth explosion in three years. This is not about setting up committees. Some new policies are going to come and those who will want to resist it will not be listened to'.

In 2015 an explosion at a petrol station in Accra killed around 100 who had sought shelter nearby from flooding in the country’s worst disaster in more than a decade.

Infrastructure in Accra, a city of roughly 7 million people, has failed to keep pace with population growth after years of rapid economic expansion.

The West African country;Ghana has suffered eight(8) gas fuel station blasts in the last three(3) years.

desmond frimpong

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