“The public has been advised to move out of the area to nearby towns for their safety while recovery efforts are underway.
“An appeal is also being made to nearby towns to open up their classrooms, churches etc to accommodate surviving victims,” a statement from the Public Affairs department of the Service said.
The statement further explained that details available to the police show that the explosion resulted from head-on collision of a mining car and a motorcycle.
“Meanwhile, preliminary investigation has established that a mining explosive vehicle moving from Tarkwa to Chirano mines collided with a motorcycle resulting in the explosion,” it added.
It also stated that all the victims of the explosion are receiving medical treatment at various hospitals and clinics within the area.
They have called for calm even as investigations continue into the incident.
“We continue to urge the public to remain calm as we manage the situation. Further updates regarding the emergency evacuation of the injured will be communicated in due course,” it said.
Background:
Many people are feared dead and several injured in an explosion that happened at Apiatsi, a suburb of Bogoso in the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality.
The entire Apiatsi community on the Bogoso-Bawdie highway has been affected by the explosion.
According to eyewitnesses, there was a head-on collision between a motorbike and a vehicle carrying a container with what is suspected to be mining explosives after which the vehicle caught fire.
Few minutes after the collision, the vehicle exploded, killing an unknown number of people and injuring several others. The highway has been cut into two burying the vehicle.
This has caused a lot of traffic as no car can move from Bogoso to Bawdie and vice versa.
Lots of cars close to the explosion site had their windscreens cracked due to the explosion.
Lots of houses and shops caught fire as a result of the explosion, torching houses and shops.
A major hospital in the area, Aseda Hospital, is flooded with accident victims, with others being taken to the Bogoso Health Centre.
Some of them are also being transferred to Hospitals in Tarkwa and nearby hospitals for treatment.
The fire service is currently at the accident scene, together with an excavator to remove the buried vehicle.
Source: Ghanaweb.com
