At least four persons died, and four others are still missing following the explosion that rocked a stone quarry site in Ghana, late Saturday an official has said.
Emmanuel Bonney, spokesman for the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in the Western Region, stated late Sunday that three Ghanaians and a Chinese national were among the dead, while all the missing persons were officials of the company, including the managing director.
According to Bonney, nine injured persons were treated and discharged, leaving five on admission at various hospitals.
“There were 22 people on site when the incident happened, including a Ghanaian lady who visited two Ghanaian workers on site. Both the visiting lady and the two males she visited were burnt to death following the explosion,” said the GNFS official.
He added that all four missing persons were Chinese nationals, including the managing director of the quarry company. Bonney attributed the explosion to ammonium nitrate stored at the premises, adding that the impact showed that the chemical was in large quantities.
Bonney said the Ammonium nitrate was stored downstairs while the personnel slept upstairs at the quarry site.
He gave the name of the quarry company ADSAM Enterprise, which was yet to be fully licensed to operate in Ghana.
Checks from the Minerals Commission revealed that ADSAM was awaiting approval to commence business.
Francis Anobil, an assistant manager of the Minerals Commission in the Western Region, said that a Ghanaian who used to work with G-Omni Quarry, the company which operated the quarry in the past, was officially known as the lead person in ADSAM.
“We will continue with our investigations to establish whether the company had actually commenced operations or were just undertaking preparations awaiting official approval,” Anobil added.