An explosion, which followed a fatal accident involving a truck carrying explosives to a gold mine in a rural area in Ghana, has destroyed hundreds of buildings killing unspecified number of residents .
Reuters report that the explosion occurred in Apiate between the towns of Bogoso and Bawdie when a motorcycle went under a truck carrying explosives owned by a company called Maxam that was heading to the Chirano gold mine, run by Toronto-based Kinross (K.TO).
A Kinross spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying it occurred 140 kilometres (87 miles) from the mine.
The police initially said the explosives were heading from the Tarkwa gold mine run by Johannesburg-based Gold Fields, but a spokesman for Gold Fields said the delivery was from an explosives company in the town of Tarkwa, not the Tarkwa mine. Maxam did not respond to requests for comment.
Unverified videos posted on local media showed a large, smouldering blast site in which buildings had been reduced to piles of wood, brick and twisted metal.
In one video, two bodies were seen crumpled on the ground, covered in dust. A photo shared by a local council member also showed a deep crater at the epicentre of the blast, onlookers peering down from its rim.
Ghana’s deputy director general of the National Disaster Management Organisation, Seji Saji Amedonu, said 500 buildings had been destroyed and a regional emergency official also told local media he had seen 10 dead bodies.
“The public has been advised to move out of the area to nearby towns for their safety while recovery efforts are underway,” the police said in a statement.
Nearby towns have been asked to open up public spaces including classrooms and churches to survivors, the police said.
Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo tweeted he had been informed of the incident and confirmed there had been deaths.
“It is a truly … tragic incident, and I extend, on behalf of Government, deep condolences to the families of the deceased,” he said.
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