A gas explosion that occurred (about 5:00am) on Wednesday, November 11, 2020 in Ho, has injured about 14 persons, the Ho Teaching Hospital has said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ho Teaching Hospital, Amos Jah who confirmed the injuries during an interview on Ho FM (92.5) explained that the injured persons include 13 males and a female.
More so, two of the injured were sent to the surgical theatre and one other, who was having difficulty in breathing is being cared for at the Intensive Care Unit. The rest are in stable condition at the emergency unit, he added.
The explosion occurred at the Mighty Gas Filling station in Ho, the Volta Regional Capital; a few metres from the Ho teaching Hospital.
The loud sound from the explosion caused fear and panic among residents who rushed out of their homes to ascertain the source of the loud sound as they took cover.
Fortunately, the explosion which occurred at the gas filling point did not spread to other parts of the filling station which had a large tank farm, offices as well as a petrol and diesel filling station.
An eyewitness who gave her name as Rossie Amekor said at the time of the explosion some customers, particularly taxi cabs were having their cylinders filled.
Meanwhile, a statement from the management of the Gas Station says, the stringent and effective safety measures put in place ensured the explosion did not spread to other parts of the station.
It also acknowledged the swift response of the fire service and welcomed a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion. It assured that the management will cooperate with the fire service and other regulatory agencies to ensure a successful investigation, recommendations and directives to improve their operations and services better.
As at the time of filing this story, the cause of the explosion had not been ascertained although the Fire Service has commenced investigations into the incident. The gas filling station is temporarily closed to the public.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)