The injured at the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital
One hundred and twenty-two persons, including six fire officers, were severely injured in a massive gas explosion that rocked a depot on the main Sekondi-Takoradi Road yesterday.
The explosion was believed to have occurred at the Ghana Household Utility Company (GHUMCO), an aluminium manufacturing company, popularly called ‘Chinese,’ off the main Sekondi-Takoradi road.
The company was said to have been discharging Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) into a tanker when the explosion occurred.
Eyewitnesses indicated that they heard a loud bang and saw flames billowing into the sky. A gas tanker split into two, flipped over and landed in a wetland close by.
About six personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), who initially went to the scene to help douse the raging inferno, were injured together with other pedestrians and passengers – most of who were workers on their way to work – when a second explosion occurred.
One of the injured fire officers, who was in critical condition, was transported to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital for treatment.
According to the eyewitnesses, more than six fire tenders were dispatched to the scene to control the spread of the inferno.
The incident also affected other nearby entities, including Total filling station and OLAM Warehouse, which was the most affected.
Some students of Opportunities Industrialization Centre (OIC) along the Sekondi-Takoradi main road were also affected.
The injured were rushed to the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, New Takoradi Health Center, Takoradi Hospital and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) Hospital in Takoradi for treatment.
Traffic on the main Sekondi-Takoradi highway was diverted to the Effiakuma and Effia Road.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the route diversion resulted in the charging of exorbitant fares by commercial vehicle drivers and their mates who were plying those routes.
Immediately the fire was brought under control, the affected areas were cordoned off by police personnel.
Speaking to journalists, the Acting Medical Superintendent of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Dr Abraham Anthony, confirmed that about 60 of the injured were sent to the facility for treatment.
He noted that at about 7:30 am yesterday, he was at the health facility when he heard an explosion and immediately felt some heat around his body.
“Then I turned round and saw a thick smoke and so I quickly called the doctors and the nurses around and alerted them to be on guard because I knew the causalities would be brought to the hospital,” he claimed.
Dr Anthony continued, “A few minutes after that, I heard police siren and other vehicles bringing in the injured to the hospital. Some of the people affected suffered burns on their hands, legs and necks and we will try to take X-rays to determine the extent of injury.”
At the time, ADO Emmanuel Bonney, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service in the Western Region, gave the number of injured as 31 but this number quickly rose to 122; but no fatalities were recorded.
He revealed that the civilians and six fire fighters who sustained various degrees of injury were responding to treatment at the Effia Nkwanta Regional and GHAPOHA Hospitals.
ADO Bonney pointed out that arrangements were being made to airlift two fire fighters who were in critical condition to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra for further treatment.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi