A scene from the deadly gas explosion at Atomic Junction, Madina- Accra
A day after the deadly explosion that rocked a gas station at Atomic Junction, near Legon, an Accra suburb, President Akufo-Addo sent Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to the location to commiserate with the victims and assess the situation.
Moments after the explosion, President Akufo-Addo was said to have spoken to security chiefs and asked for resources to be made available to aid rescue and investigative efforts.
On Sunday morning, Vice President Bawumia had to cut short his trip to the Northern Region where he was with the president and other key government officials on a tour and returned to the national capital in response to the tragedy that had befallen the nation.
The night before, an explosion of one of the reserved tanks at the Mensko gas station, believed to be owned by music producer, Mark Okraku-Mantey’s family, claimed seven lives, with not less than 132 persons sustaining various degrees of injury as at 11:30 am yesterday, according to a press release by the Information Ministry and signed on behalf of the Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid, who was with the president.
The owner of the gas station, George Owusu, blamed a ‘khebab’ seller for the deadly inferno, saying he might be the cause of the fire.
The blaze also left in its wake the destruction of several properties and wares, including the adjacent Total filling station, and not less than 20 vehicles, including two fuel tankers, almost reduced to ashes.
At the time of filing this report, 64 of the injured persons were said to have been discharged from the various hospitals, with 68 still on admission receiving treatment.
By half past 9am, Dr Bawumia had landed at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra from Tamale to visit the scene and take stock.
He was met on arrival by the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery and his deputy, Henry Quartey; Inspector General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu and his team of senior police officers, including Commissioner of Police (COP) George Akuffo-Dampare, in-charge of Operations and Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), COP Bright Oduro.
Also on hand were Abu Ramadan, the Deputy Coordinator for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Greater Accra NADMO Coordinator and a combined team of Military and Fire Service personnel.
After receiving his brief and taken round the place, the veep moved straight to the Madina Polyclinic and from there to the Pentecost Hospital, where the team visited some of the victims.
From there, they moved to the Legon Government Hospital and then to the 37 Military Hospital and ended at the Police Hospital, where most of the victims had been referred to.
Shock-stricken Dr Bawumia was almost moved to tears when he commiserated with some of the victims, assuring them of government’s support.
Government has since sent a message of condolence to the affected families and its best wishes to those still receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, investigations have since commenced to unravel the cause of the explosion, with an assurance by the government to follow up with a firm action to forestall similar occurrence in future.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent