A total of 13 people have been confirmed dead in the Appiatse explosion near Bogoso in the Western Region.
The incident which occurred as a result of an accident involving a truck conveying explosives for a mining company, a motorcycle and a third vehicle close to an electricity transformer, reduced the town of Appaitse to rubble, killing inhabitants and injuring scores.
READ ALSO:
According to the Ministry, following the activation of a National Emergency Response Mechanism which saw personnel from the Police Service, Fire Service, the Municipal Authority and residents moving to help, about 59 injured people have been rescued from the rubble.
This comes after an earlier statement from the Information Ministry placed the death toll at 17.
But the Vice President, Bawumia providing the new figures explained that apart from the 13 deaths, 59 persons were also injured and receiving treatment.
Additional personnel and resources have been dispatched to the community to support the ongoing response effort, the Ministry stated.
“An alternative route has been created to facilitate the movement of stranded vehicles plying that route. All hospitals within the vicinity are being used to treat injured persons, and an evacuation plan has been activated to move those in critical condition to medical facilities in Accra so they can get the needed assistance,” the statement added.
The Ministry’s statement further mentioned that to forestall a secondary explosion at the site, a joint team of police and military explosion experts have been deployed to examine the situation and put in place requisite measures.