A SPEEDING gas tanker caught fire after it fell on its side at Sokoban-Ampayoo, a community in the Atwima Kwanwoma District, last Thursday morning.
One of the tyres of the tanker burst when the speeding vehicle reached a sharp curve, forcing the driver to lose control of the tanker and crashed it in a gutter.
Luckily, the driver and his mate escaped from the accident with minor injuries as they were rescued and rushed to a nearby medical facility for attention.
But the tanker, which was fully loaded with gas, was on fire a few seconds after the accident.
The fear of a possible gas explosion forced the fear-stricken people in the area to flee from the scene.
Residents called in the Ghana National Fire Service personnel to douse the fire.
“I must confess, the firefighters have done a yeoman’s job today and they deserve to be applauded and appreciated for their hard work,” Kofi Boateng, an eyewitness, said.
Another eyewitness, Adwoa Konadu, also said “but for the timely intervention of the firemen, surely the blaze would have exploded and caused massive destruction.”
The accident caused a vehicular traffic on the Ampayoo to Sokoban road as cars from both directions had to wait for hours for the fire to be doused.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi