7 Vehicles Burnt In Tanker Explosion

The burnt tanker and some of the vehicles

A tanker carrying fuel Tuesday night exploded at the Ejisu-Besease section of the Kumasi-Accra highway, burning portions of a house and six other vehicles, including an articulator truck belonging to one Alhaji Salia.

The rest of the vehicles affected were Rexton SUV, Kia Morning, Kia Daewoo, a taxi and a Kia truck.

The tanker, with registration number 11 GL 7450 BF, was heading to Burkina Faso when it caught fire in the middle of the road – right in front of the Ejisu-Besease mosque at about 10:40 pm.

The cause of the explosion remained unclear, but accounts of local residents suggested that the fuel was leaking prior to the incident, which allegedly forced the unidentified driver and his mate to jump out of the vehicle and fled to save their lives.

An eyewitness, Mariama Inusah, told DAILY GUIDE that the explosion  might have been caused by heat from the exhaust pipe, and added that people were forced to flee their homes because of the intensity of the blast and the burning sensation experienced.

“Some people ran as far as they could, whiles others stood at a distance to catch a glimpse of what was unfolding,” she said.

Mohammed Adams aka Mallam Adams, owner of three of the vehicles, said fire fighters put off the fire.

He revealed that he had lost a total of GH?101,000 being the cost of his vehicles.

According to the 35-year-old man, he imported the vehicles from South Korea and that they were meant to be resold.

Mohammed Adams, who is the deputy Imam of the Besease community, was full of praise to Allah for the protection of lives and the mosque.

Meanwhile, police at Ejisu and officials of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) have begun investigation to unravel the circumstances leading to the incident.

At the time of leaving the scene, two officers of NPA had arrived to assess the situation, whereas the police had already left a few minutes earlier.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Ejisu-Besease

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