A total of seventeen people have been confirmed dead following the huge mining explosives which exploded at Bogoso-Apeatse, a mining town in the Prestea-Huni Valley District of the Western Region.
Some 59 other person also got injured and are battling for their lives after they were rescued, summing up the total people affected in the infortunate incident to 76 currently.
This was revealed in a statement issued by government through the Ministry of Information on the day of the incident Thursday January 20, 2022, saying that “As at 17:00 hours, a total of seventeen (17) people have, sadly, been confirmed dead, and 59 injured persons had been rescued, bringing to 76 the number of persons known, so far, to have been affected by the tragedy.”
According to the statement, out of the 59 injured persons, 42 are receiving treatment and some are in critical condition.
Touching on measures taken so far by government to handle the situation, the Information Ministry said “Most of the victims have been rescued and are on admission at various hospitals and clinics within the Bogoso Municipality. Upon the instructions of the President of the Republic, a National Emergency Response Mechanism was activated immediately. Personnel from the Police Service, Fire Service, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ghana Health Service, National Ambulance Service, the Municipal Authority, and residents have all been involved in providing support.
“Additional personnel and resources have been dispatched to the community to support the response effort. An alternative route has been created to facilitate the movement of stranded vehicles plying that route. All hospitals within the vicinity are being used to treat injured persons, and an evacuation plan has been activated to move those in critical condition to medical facilities in Accra, so they can get the needed assistance.”
In order to avoid future occurrence, government has deployed a joint team of police and military explosion experts to examine the situation and put in place the requisite measures.
Step taken by government to bring temporal relief to the affceted people as a result of several houses and structures in sections of the town which have been destroyed, government says plans have been put in place to ensure that stranded community members are catered for in the coming days.
“We would want to urge the public to remain calm and obtain regular updates from the national emergency response team. At 11am on Friday, the emergency response team will provide updates from the scene of the incident,” it said.
Government has also commended the rescue team made up of Police Service, Fire Service, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ghana Health Service, National Ambulance Service, the Municipal Authority, health professionals in the medical facilities within the vicinity, and local residents for their assistance so far.
A deep condolences was also expressed to the families of the deceased and sent best wishes to the injured for their speedy recovery.
The statement indicated that President Akufo-Addo will soon visit Appiatse to assess the effectiveness of the response effort.
Police preliminary investigations revealed that a vehicle transporting explosives to a mining site collided with a motorcycle, resulting in the explosion at about 12:30 pm.
Meanwhile, Chirano Gold Mines has confirmed that the truck that was involved in the explosion was destined for its site.
The mining company said the truck belongs to mining services contractor MAXAM.
By Vincent Kubi