Sixteen persons have sustained severe injuries after a leakage at a premix fuel depot at Egyiresia, a fishing community near Sekondi in the Western Region led to a fire outbreak.
The fire outbreak occurred after the leaked premix fuel came into contact with fire from the fishmongers in a nearby smoking facility. The fire outbreak occurred on Saturday, May 18, at about 4 pm.
Thirteen of the victims were sent to the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Takoradi, where they are receiving treatment, while three were sent to the Saint Benedict Hospital at Inchaban.
Despite the timely arrival and intervention of personnel from the Western Regional command of the Ghana National Fire Service, two vehicles, including a Range Rover and an Opel Astra Taxi, were also destroyed. Police are currently investigating the fire outbreak.
Meanwhile, two of the 16 persons injured in the fire outbreak have succumbed to their injuries.
Reports indicate that the fire outbreak was sparked by leaking premix fuel that came into contact with fire from a nearby fish smoking facility.
The Assembly Member for Ngyiresia-Mpasem, Gabriel Ato Mensah, speaking to the media revealed that the two deceased victims, Joseph Adom, 15 years, and Justice Dadzie, 7 years were receiving treatment at Effia-Nkwanta Hospital in Sekondi.
According to him, two more injured persons are being transferred to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
“We recorded 16 victims with 11 being males and five females. We brought 13 of them to Effia-Nkwanta where treatment started, and we took the three to Saint Benedict Hospital at Inchaban. I personally took them to the hospital and later had to join the chief.
“When I came, two of the victims had been taken to the theatre, thus Joseph Adom, 15 years and Isaac Blankson, 55 years. The other 11 were also receiving treatment at the emergency ward.”
“This morning when we came, we realized that Joseph Adom had passed on. So we went to the morgue to see the lifeless body. Since morning, I’ve been here with the chief and around 3 pm, we lost another one by the nane Justice Dadzie, a seven-year-old.
“Currently the ambulance has taken one patient, Isaac Blankson who was at the theatre [on Saturday] to Korle Bu and we are preparing another ambulance for one patient to Korle Bu for further treatment.”
