Explosion must not recur – Chamber of Mines

The Ghana Chamber of Mines has said efforts must be made to prevent the chemical explosion at Apiate, near Bogoso that led to the loss of lives and destruction of properties, from happening again.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and assure them of our support during this difficult period. The immediate priority is to provide relief to the families of the deceased as well as cater for the needs of the injured and the people in the community”, says Eric Asubonteng, President of Chamber of Mines said.

“We commend the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, NADMO, Minerals Commission, and mining companies for the timely intervention in the matter. We continue to collaborate with these organisations in the search and rescue efforts,” he added.

“We should make every effort to prevent such unfortunate accidents in the future,” he stated.

The police said its preliminary investigation established that a mining explosive vehicle moving from Tarkwa to Chirano mines collided with a motorcycle resulting in the explosion.

“Reference to our earlier emergency public notice, the Police have taken charge of the situation providing security to enable the emergency workers including the Ghana National Fire Service, NADMO and the Ambulance Service to manage the situation."

“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."

Meanwhile, preliminary investigation has established that a mining explosive vehicle moving from Tarkwa to Chirano mines collided with a motorcycle resulting in the explosion.

Most of the victims have been rescued and are on admission at various hospitals and clinics within the Bogoso Municipality.