Family and friends of a 50-year-old carbide welder are grieving and fearful after he was killed in a gas explosion incident at the Suame industrial enclave in the Ashanti Region.
The deceased, Kwabena Afriyie, is reported to have been servicing a faulty vehicle with a cylinder containing liquid oxygen when it exploded, resulting in his death.
His body was torn apart by the explosion and has since been laid to rest.
The incident occurred in the late afternoon of Monday, March 25, 2024, marking the first such incident reported in the area.
According to eyewitnesses, the man died instantly as his body was mutilated in the explosion.
“We were behind the incident scene when we heard the loud sound which happened to be the explosion. My husband drew my attention to it because my children were around the explosion scene, so I rushed to the scene and saw the part of the deceased body in the mud. The deceased had his body torn into pieces,” Felicia Kobina, an eyewitness recounted.
The tragic demise of their co-worker, artisans at the Suame industrial enclave are living in fear as they recount their job to be hazardous.
“We are living in fear as welders, and this is not the first time such an explosion has happened. We are all scared, some of my colleagues are even contemplating leaving the job but some of us are still encouraging them not to give up. The work is very risky, but we are cautious.”
“The mistake that led to the unfortunate incident is the fact that the gas cylinder was very close to the deceased welder. He should have placed the gas cylinder meters away from where he was working,” Samuel Moni, also a welder, said.
The late Kwabena Afriyie, whose body has since been laid to rest, left behind a wife and five children.
ALSO READ: