Three more people have been confirmed dead following the gas explosion incident at La in Accra.
This brings to nine, the number of persons who have died as a result of last Thursday’s incident.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Health, Tony Goodman who confirmed the development to Citi News said the Minister of Health, Mr Alex Segbefia has ordered the health institutions treating injured persons from the incident to submit their bills for payment from government.
“I can confirm to you from our review that there are 9 people who died from the disaster. Because it is a disaster we don’t want people [the injured] to be thinking about how to pay bills and at the end of the day that also brings another hardship to them.”
“The President has assured that the bills will be taken care of so the minister has asked the hospitals to submit the bills as soon as possible so that the bills are paid to them.”
He said the Ministry’s assessment showed the various health facilities had adequate equipment to effectively treat the patients.
“When we went there, in terms of logistics, they are on point; they have adequate logistics to take care of the patients,” Tony Goodman said.
More than 40 victims of the explosion are currently on admission at various hospitals in Accra including the 37 Military hospital, Police hospital, La general hospital and the Korle-Bu teaching hospital.
The explosion occurred at about 4pm on Thursday, December 22, between the Labadi Cemetery and the Trade Fair Centre.
It took fire officers more than four hours to control the inferno which had spread to nearby shops and parts of the Trade Fair Centre.
‘Survivors doing well’ – Mahama
President Mahama on Friday, December 23rd said the survivors of the explosion were “doing well”, when he visited some of them at the 37 Military Hospital.
In a post on Facebook, the President expressed his condolences to the families of those who had lost their lives in the accident while calling on Ghanaians to pray for the quick recovery of those who were currently on admission at the various hospitals receiving medical care.
Time for strict enforcement of safety regulations – Akufo Addo
Meanwhile, President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo has called for better adherence to safety regulations in the country following the incident. In a series of tweets on Twitter, Nana Akufo-Addo said it was about time the country took a second look at the siting of gas stations. “I’ve learnt with sadness of the news of a gas explosion near the Trade Fair Centre, resulting in the loss of 6 lives, and injuries to others. My deepest condolences to the families of the bereaved, and I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he said.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana