Three more persons aged 55, 24 and 14 years, among those caught up in a premix fuel explosion at Ngyiresia in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis, have succumbed to their injuries, bringing the death toll to 6.
Daniela Cornelius, 14, who was receiving treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is reported to have died in the early hours of Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
The other two, Nurideen Morrison, 24, and Kojo Egyir, 55 are said to have died at separate locations on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
“She was transferred to Korle Bu together with another victim for better treatment, but we had a call this morning that she also could not make it. They needed money for her surgery, but we could not help because all donations made have been exhausted. We still have two more victims at Effia Nkwanta who are to be transferred to a bigger facility, but we have no money to facilitate it,” Assembly member for the area, Gabriel Mensah indicated.
Chief of Ngyiresia, Nana Doko Agyemang III told Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson, the host of Connect FM’s Omanbapa Morning Show that one of the deceased, Kojo Egyir, a fisherman, was relocated to a herbal medicine center at Moree in the Central Region after he opted to be discharged from the Effia Nkwanta Regional hospital with assistance from family members. He, unfortunately, could not survive the pain after a few days and died.
“As for Nuredeen Morison, he was transferred from the St. Benedict Hospital but all the bigger facilities were full, so we could not have a place to admit him. His father had no other option than to take him to his brother’s hospital and that is where he died”, he indicated.
Background
Fishermen at Ngyiresia have been transporting their barrels of premix fuel to the beach by rolling them through a footpath in another part of the community, densely populated by fishmongers.
This mode of carting the barrels has been the case for some time due to the lack of a motorable route.
For every sea expedition, tens of barrels get rolled, for some 500 meters downhill to the beach. This is regardless of the naked fire around and occasioned by the activities of fishmongers.
Sadly, that Saturday was perhaps the last time the fishermen would have to use such a mode of transportation.
Reports have it that, this particular consignment of premix fuel was bought from elsewhere due to the scarcity of the product at Ngyiresia.
The Ngyiresia Community Premix Fuel Pump, to where the explosion occurred, is a minute’s walk.
The last time an explosion occurred in the Western Region, four persons died, and several others were maimed for life. This was at a quarry site at Anto-Aboso in the Shama district.