The Ghana Police Service has launched investigations into an explosion at a tailings site in Aboso, near Tarkwa, in the Western Region, which left three people dead and three others injured.
According to the Western Central Regional Police Command, the explosion occurred around midday on Tuesday, August 4, prompting officers to immediately visit the scene and commence investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Preliminary police investigations suggest that workers at the site spotted a python and informed the site owner, David Kofi Fletcher.
Fletcher reportedly arrived with a pump-action shotgun to kill the snake. Police suspect that pellets discharged from the gun struck explosive materials believed to have been illegally stored at the site, triggering the explosion.
The blast claimed the lives of Fletcher and two other individuals identified only as Solomon and Baba. Three other persons sustained varying degrees of injuries and are receiving treatment at a hospital.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital Mortuary pending preservation and autopsy.
The explosion also caused extensive damage to nearby properties. Several houses had their window panes shattered, while six vehicles parked at a nearby washing bay suffered damage to their windscreens and windows.
The Police said the Minerals Commission has been notified and is collaborating with investigators as efforts continue to establish the full circumstances surrounding the explosion.
The Western Central Regional Police Command expressed its condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
It also reminded the public that the unlawful possession, storage, handling or sale of explosives is a serious offence and urged anyone with information on suspected illegal explosive activities to report it to the nearest police station.
CREDIT: MAVIS FANTEVI