CitifmOnline: 

Fuel tanker explosion kills 3

Reports from Axim in the Western region have it that at least three people have died with over 25 sustaining various degrees of burns after a premix fuel tanker off-loading fuel for the fisher folks exploded.

More casualties are likely to be recorded, but so far only three have been seen and the reports say they have been charred beyond recognition.

Most of the injured have been rushed to the Axim government hospital and health officials say they are overwhelmed with the numbers, adding that some of them would have to be rushed to the Affia Nkwanta Hospital

Speaking to Accra based Joy FM, Acting Hospital Administrator, Joseph Ayeni said “information we had was that there was light off so they were using generator to drop some premix fuel to serve the fishermen and we understood the generator sparked some fire and all those that were around sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to the hospital.

“Apparently those [injured] that I counted were 25, two were female and the rest are male. Some of them have sustained injuries which are about 95 percent of their bodies burnt and for some the injuries are minor.

“We’re trying to put them in a condition that we can refer them to Affia-Nkwanta so at the moment all the nurses are running around, working to ensure that we evacuate them to Affia-Nkwanta” Mr. Ayeni however added that “at the moment we have just a stand-by ambulance and it cannot convey more than three at a time because the way we need to place them we can convey three at a time, so we’ve called the National Ambulance Agency to come to our aid.”

The blaze according to eyewitnesses has been put out by the National Fire Service in the area.