Information from the Ghana Police Service indicates that the three key victims in the explosion that occured at Apiate near Bogoso in the Western Region on Thursday survived the deadly incident.
The Director-General of the Police Public Affairs Department, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kwesi Ofori has confirmed that the driver of the truck conveying the explosives, the motorbike rider whose collision with the truck sparked the fire that triggered the explosion are alive.
Not only that he disclosed that the police escort assigned to the truck is also alive.
According to him, the Tarkwa Divisional Police Headquarters duly assigned and approved a police escort for the truck which was transporting explosives to Chirano Gold Mines.
He noted that the police officer has since been interrogated and provided relevant information to the police on what transpired.
“The police administration will like to place on record that the vehicle in question was under escort and documents were prepared and given to the escort team to escort the product to its destination. It was properly signed by the Tarkwa Divisional Police and there is no foul play at all…The police officer has been interrogated and has given his opinion on the matter,” ACP Kwesi Ofori said on an Accra based media outlet.
There were conflicting reports that the driver and the motorcyclist had died following the Thursday afternoon incident which claimed lives and destroyed properties.
Some also claimed that there was no security escort for the transport of the explosives.
However, ACP Kwesi Ofori set the records straight by saying that the police escort, motorcyclist and the truck driver all survived the deadly incident.
Interestingly, he said the driver, together with the police escort helped to reduce the number of casualties by warning nearby residents including school pupils in a school to move away due to the imminent explosion.
“When the incident took place, the police officer quickly alerted those around the scene that 1there is a likelihood that there would be an explosion. When the accident occurred, it took about 15 to 20 minutes before the first explosion. The police quickly with the driver tried as much as possible to tell the onlookers to leave the place. Some heeded others didn’t. The first occurred and the second explosion ravaged the town and the village where a lot of destruction took place,” ACP Kwesi Ofori added.
“The driver, the police officer and the motor rider are all alive because they heeded to the advice,” he noted.
At least 17 people have been confirmed dead with 59 others badly injured as over 170 families were directly affected by the incident.
By Vincent Kubi