Premix Dump Explosion - Three More Die

Three more victims of the premix fuel tank explosion at Bawire and Akyinim, a twin fishing community, near Axim in the Western Region have died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

This brings to seven the number of deaths recorded so far from the incident.

The remaining four are in critical condition at the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

The Director of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre at Korle Bu, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, made this known when the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, visited the victims of the Axim explosion at the hospital Saturday.

Four persons were burnt to death Friday, while 29 others sustained various degrees of burns after a premix fuel dump exploded at Bawire and Akyinim in the Nzema East District.

Most of the injured, including two female food vendors, were rushed to the Axim Government Hospital, while others were referred to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital for further medical care.

Seven of the victims who were referred to the Effia Nkwanta Hospital had to be air lifted to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in view of the critical nature of their burns.

Virtually surprised at the extent of the burns on the victims, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said there was the urgent need to redesign all the premix distribution centres across the country and offer intensive safety education for the fishermen.

Consequently, he said, officials of the ministries of Agriculture and Energy as well as the Ghana Petroluem Authority would meet to fashion out the modalities for the redesigning the distribution centres and hinted that they would be modelled on the authorised fuel stations in the country.

He added that a team had been dispatched to ascertain the true veracity of the blast and also make appropriate recommendations.

Briefing the minister and his entourage, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah said the centre was contrained by lack of some equipment but was managing with resources available.

He cautioned that with the increasing cases of oil and gas related explosions and fire coupled with the oil find in the Western Region, there was the urgent need to equip the centre to be able to deal with cases.

He said there would also be the need to educate other health staff about how to offer fist aid in such explosions so that they would not complicate the cases.

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