Information DAILY GUIDE has gathered indicates that the death toll of last Saturday’s fuel explosion at Ngyiresia near Essikado-Ketan in the Western Region, has risen to three.
The catastrophic incident initially resulted in the death of two persons including a 15-year-old boy and a seven-year-old boy, and injuring about 14 others.
However, DAILY GUIDE gathered that one of the three victims who were transferred to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for further treatment has also passed on.
Confirming the death to DAILY GUIDE in an interview, the Assembly member for Ngyiresia, Gabriel Ato Mensah, said the deceased is one Isaac Blankson, a 65-year-old fisherman.
Human Error
It has emerged that the big plastic drum that contained the fuel which exploded at Ngyiresia, last Saturday, was being rolled on the floor from the premix depot to the beach by some fishermen.
It was also revealed that because some residents have built and erected structures to block the access road to and from the premix fuel depot, it becomes difficult for the fishermen to transport the product to the beach on vehicles.
While the big drum was being rolled on the floor to the beach, part of it got burst and the fuel started leaking and came into contact with fire which was being used by some fishmongers in the area, triggering the explosion.
This came to light when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Essikado-Ketan, Charles Bissue, visited the scene of the incident and later some of the injured persons at the hospitals.
He attributed the unfortunate incident partly to human error and bemoaned the fact that the space which vehicles ought to use to convey the fuel had been blocked with buildings.
He said, “If people had not built to block the access road, the big plastic drum containing the fuel could have even been carried on a tricycle and the incident would not have happened.
“I heard about the incident while I was in Kumasi, so I had to make my way back to the constituency to understand what actually happened. We have gone round, and it was realised that there was actually a drive-way where people have blocked with structures,” he disclosed.
He assured the victims that the government would definitely come to their aid, but advised the fishermen to be extra careful when it comes to the handling of the product, to help avert future occurrence of such incident.
Donation
Meanwhile, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has presented a cash donation of GH¢10,000 to the Chief of Ngyiresia. The donation is to support the medical bills of the victims involved in the fuel explosion.
The Metropolitan Coordinating Director, Mr. Innocent Haligah, expressed the assembly’s sympathy to the community on the loss of three of the 16 victims.
He, therefore, prevailed upon the fisherfolks to take precautionary measures in the conveyance and use of the premix fuel to forestall such eventualities.
He assured the community of the assembly’s commitment to assist in the burial of the deceased persons.
Receiving the donation, Nana Dokoh Agyeman III, Chief of Ngyiresia, thanked the Metropolitan Chief Executive and management of the assembly for the prompt assistance extended to the victims and their families.
He urged other companies and benevolent organisations to extend a hand of support for the upkeep of the surviving victims.
The team from the assembly was later led to visit the victims at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
From Emmanuel Opoku, TakoradiÂ