Ghana: At least 17 dead, 59 injured in blast after truck carrying explosives

A car bomb had exploded at an Iraqi police recruiting center at Kisak, west of Baghdad, killing at least 17 people and wounding 59 others. the authorities.

The bomber struck shortly after noon in Apiasse, not far from Bogoso, a city with several mines, in western Ghana, 300 kilometers from Accra, the capital of the West African country rich in minerals.

Videos verified by Agence France-Presse show a large crater, buildings that have been transformed into amorphous masses, debris scattered on the ground at a distance of several hundred meters. Corpses can be seen, some dismembered.

“A truck carrying explosives on behalf of a mining company, a motorcycle and a third vehicle near a power grid transformer was involved,” said Ghanaian Information Minister Kojo Opong Druma, a press release issued Thursday night through Friday.

At around 17:00 (local time; 18:00 Greek time), authorities had counted “a total of 17 people who were unfortunately confirmed dead”, while “59 injured were rescued”, he added.

Of the 59 injured, 42 were taken to health centers, some “in critical condition,” the minister said. All the hospitals in the area have been mobilized and the authorities plan to transport the injured who are in critical condition in Accra.

“Ghost town”

“It’s a black Thursday. So far, we know that 500 houses have been damaged. Some have been completely leveled by the blast, while others have cracks,” Seji Saji Amentonou, a Ghanaian national disaster relief officer, told AFP last night.

Apiasse “is almost a ghost town now. Some houses were burned, others were covered in debris, search and rescue operations are still ongoing,” he added.

Survivors who spoke to the local press described scenes of despair.

Like Abena Mida, who explained that he rushed to the scene to see if there were any casualties and if he could help.

“The driver of the truck with the explosives ran towards us to tell us to leave and a few minutes later, we heard a loud explosion,” he explained.

“I was dizzy, I fell down in the bushes. I managed to get up and saw many dismembered corpses on the street,” added the eyewitness, who was slightly injured in the legs and arms.

To prevent a second explosion, authorities sent a joint team of police and army firefighters to the area. It will “examine the situation and implement security measures,” the government said.

Authorities asked residents to move away from the site of the blast, to move to nearby villages. Schools and churches opened to spend the night.

President Nana Akufo-Anto spoke yesterday afternoon of a “truly sad, unfortunate and tragic event” and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

Fatal accidents related to the mining sector are common in Ghana, but they are usually improvised mine collapses, most often illegal. In June, at least nine people were killed when a mine collapsed in the north of the country.

Ghana ranks second in gold production across the Black Continent, after South Africa.

The Tsirano gold mine, for which the explosives were intended, is operated by Kinross, based in Toronto, Canada.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ