Four killed in Tema "gun powder" explosion
Four persons, including the Chief of Akyem Techiman in the Eastern Region, Osabarima Nana Appiah Danso II, died instantly when an explosion occurred in his residence at Community 12 in Tema Wednesday.
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Nana Danso, 65, was said to be supervising his three employees, identified only as Shirkered, Kofi and Kweku, who were working in his residence when the incident happened.
Two others, identified as Michael Oduro-Debrah, 28, a son of the chief, and Mr Francis Assah, 61, who sustained severe injuries are on admission at the Tema General Hospital.
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The explosion, which occurred at about 11:45 yesterday morning, was said to have been caused by expired gunpowder, used to manufacture matches which was stored in an enclosed area of the chief's residence. The heat in the containers in which the gunpowder was stored was so intense, hence the explosion.
The mutilated bodies of the chief and the three others have since been sent to the Police Hospital Mortuary for autopsy.
When the Daily Graphic’s visited the scene it was observed that there were large quantities of matches labels with inscription, “New Matches Factory (NMF)” and three paddles scattered around.
Some of the houses near the chief’s residence had some of their roofs ripped off, and the louvre blades of others were broken.
The chief’s residence was also not spared as the intensity of the explosion ripped off its roof and huge portions of the building collapsed.
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Mutilated Bodies
The mutilated bodies of the deceased were scattered around some houses in the neighbourhood, making it difficult for the bodies to be identified.
An eyewitness, Mrs Brown Nuamah, from whose residence the police retrieved limbs and other body parts, told the Daily Graphic that she heard a loud ‘bang’ from the residence of the chief and, therefore, she came out of her room to see what had happened.
"All of a sudden, we saw the roofing sheets from the chief's house flying around, with human parts landing in our compound", she said.
Describing the incident as horrifying, she added that the explosion also damaged a four wheel vehicle parked in their yard.
A neighbour, Mr Oduro-Debrah, 28, told the Daily Graphic that he was hit by some of the flying roofing sheets and some pieces of concrete that fell from the kitchen of the main house, where he was at the time of the incident.
Heavy Security
The incident attracted some security agencies in the Tema Metropolis, including the Navy and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
The Tema Regional Fire Command flooded the area with aquarium film forming foam (AFFF) to prevent further explosions and reduce the high temperature in the vicinity.
The Member of Parliament for Tema Central, Mr Kofi Brako, and the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Isaac Odamtey, also visited the scene.
The Tema Regional Police Commander, DCOP Beatrice Vib-Sanziri, who led an investigative team to the scene, said the command would make its findings public after the investigation.