At least 49 victims of Ghana gas explosion remain on admission

At least 49 victims of a gas explosion in the Ghanaian city of Takoradi remain on admission at three major health facilities in the country’s western region.

Tuesday’s explosion occurred when two gas tankers discharging and receiving gas close to a petrol station on the Takoradi highway exploded, injuring over a hundred people.

Western regional minister, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie who visited the injured on admission at three major hospitals in the region, described as a miracle, the fact that no deaths were recorded in the explosion considering the extent of damage it caused.

“I tell you, the sort of devastation that I saw at the site, people should have died,” Dr. Afriyie said adding that “I’m very very grateful to God that nobody died”.

Among the injured were five firemen who had gone to the scene to douse the fire. Seven people who sustained serious burns are said to be in critical condition,

Dr. Afriyie told the media during his visits that “even though the potential of people losing their lives is still there”, he was optimistic that with the “management and the sort of professionalism” exhibited by the hospital, “and I’m backing it with prayers, that nobody should lose their life”.

The Effia Nkwanta regional hospital took in 88 people on Tuesday after the explosion. Three other victims were brought to the hospital on Wednesday morning.

The Takoradi hospital which received 40 victims, had treated and discharged 26 of the victims with 14 still on admission at the time of the minister’s visit.

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority hospital which received 28 of the injured still has 20 on admission.

Head of health services at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority hospital, Dr. Titus Victor Anaab-Bisi said the victims who came to their facility had various degrees of burns.

“Severe burns came up, about 11 of them had severe burns. The rest of them were mild and moderate. We cannot get them all to heal within the few days but once they are stable we will discharge them and they would come back and we keep up with the management,” Dr. Anaab-Bisi told the media.

The Western regional minister has however said a 5-member committee would be set up to investigate the cause of the explosion as well as work out the cost of treating the injured.

In December last year, a gas explosion at a gas station in the Ghanaian capital Accra, left 6 dead and 12 people in critical condition.