People living close to these fuel stations have expressed fear about possible explosion and the resultant loss of lives and property, and are calling on authorities to shut down these facilities.

The recent gas explosion that claimed over seven lives and injured over 40 others at a gas station near La, has heightened the fears of residents.

Citi News’ Caleb Kudah has been to the area and filed the report below.

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Bawaleshie residents worried over closeness of fuel stations [Report] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

After the June 3 disaster, the National Petroleum Authority said it had put in effective measures to enforce and tighten relevant regulations on the building of fuel stations in residential areas.

[contextly_sidebar id=”mhrwORG3PYmSkOFbwjgATPxEMU4ZWikJ”]Labadi gas explosion, which has claimed 10 lives so far, has left many people, including President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo, calling for a strict enforcement such regulations to avert any future disaster.

Preliminary investigations have pointed to a leakage at the station which led to the explosion according to the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, Prince Billy Anaglate.

Speaking to Citi News Mr. Anaglate said enforcing strict safety measures will go a long way to prevent such disasters.

“It is not about the siting of the filling stations; it is about the lack of maintenance or safety measures put in place. If you are able to ensure that safety measures are put in place and are maintained, you have reduced the hazards associated to the barest minimum. So it is not about the siting.”

Mr. Anaglate indicated that the Fire Service had in place a system to train staff of filling stations but he noted that without the training, such staff “wouldn’t have what it takes to identify hazards within the premises, let alone knowing what mitigating factors to put in place when they identify the hazard.”

“So those people may be responsible for some these preventable fires that might be caused. It is not about the siting of the filling station,” he stated.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Adherence to safety critical for fuel stations – Fire Service appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

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.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post La gas explosion: 3 more confirmed dead appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Head of Corporate Communications at the GWCL, Stanley Martey, explained that this was because the Trade Fair has not paid outstanding water bills.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Martey said the disconnection has “been for more than a year because they haven’t paid their bills. They have defaulted in payments for a very long time so we disconnected them.”

He also indicated that the Fire Service should have been well aware of the water situation because the Trade Fair had opted to sink a borehole instead of paying their outstanding bills.

“Instead of them paying their bills so that we would have them reconnected, they sunk a borehole in the Trade Fair. Now that the Trade Fair is using a borehole, is the fire service not aware that the borehole is not enough to combat fire anytime there is a fire outbreak?”

Stop the blame game

Mr. Martey also expressed his frustration at what he deemed as a blame game the Ghana Fire Service is indulging in.

After the Fire Service’s Director of Public Affairs, Billy Anaglate, revealed that the absence of water in the hydrants forced the Service to move all the way to Makola in Accra to refill the fire trucks to put the fire out, Mr. Martey said the Fire Service was only using GWCL as a soft target.

“It is not proper at this time to be laying blame and I think that it is high time the fire service stopped blaming the Ghana water company limited anytime they fail in their responsibilities.”

“The softest area to blame is the Ghana Water Company limited and I think it is wrong. I think it is very bad. We have discussed this issue several times and the Fire Service is always quick to lay blame on water not being in the hydrant,” he said.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Empty hydrants due to Trade Fair’s indebtedness – GWCL appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the Director of Public Affairs, Billy Anaglate said this forced the fire trucks to move all the way to Makola in Accra to refill the fire trucks to put the fire out.

It ultimately took the fire service about four hours to bring the fire under control after arriving on the scene a few minute before 6pm.

Mr. Anaglate hailed the fire firefighters effectiveness in keeping the fire under control despite the challenge with the hydrants and water supply.

“Because of the contingency plan we put in place, even with the biggest challenge of not having water readily available passing through the hydrant for firefighting meaning we even needed to move our vehicles, when they were exhausted off water, to travel all the way Makola to replenish… we were able to fight the fire, to extinguish it at that shortest possible time of even four hours or five hours.”

“There were fire hydrants within the Trade Faire and around the area but water was not passing through, if you have a hydrant and water company has not released water to pass through it, there is no way you will be able to access it.”

He added that the Fire Service had a hydrant recovery team doing its best to keep track and “inspect and make sure they [the hydrants] are available but the next thing is for the water company to release water to them.”

No need for blame game

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) however accused the fire service of playing a blame game and picking on water providers as an easy target in the wake of the incident.

Also speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the Head of Corporate Communications at the GWCL, Stanley Martey said, “it is not proper at this time to be laying blame and I think that it is high time the fire service stopped blaming the Ghana water company limited anytime they fail in their responsibilities.”

“The softest area to blame is the Ghana Water Company limited and I think it is wrong. I think it is very bad. We have discussed this issue several times and the Fire Service is always quick to lay blame on water not being in the hydrant.”

Mr. Martey also questioned why service resorted to a hydrant in Makola when it had a hydrant at headquarters closer to the scene of the fire.

“The Ghana National fire service has a hydrant in this head office at the ring road and they are supposed to be fetching water on there all the time. Why are they saying they had to go all the way to Makola?”

“So I don’t think they are justified in giving that excuse and it is the easy way for them to do that all the time and I think it is very wrong,” Mr. Martey asserted.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post No water in hydrants at Labadi explosion site – Fire Service appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In a Facebook update on Friday morning, he called on Ghanaians to continue to pray for the injured.

About 39 persons are reported injured and 5 confirmed dead.

According to the deputy minister of Health Victor Bampoe, 27 of the injured are currently receiving treatment at the 37 Military Hospital with 6 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and 6 at the La General Hospital.

The explosion occurred at about 4pm on Thursday 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.

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.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Mahama mourns Labadi gas explosion victims appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The explosion, which occurred between the Labadi Cemetery and Trade Fair Centre, left at least five people dead.

There also at least 39 injured according to the Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Victor Bampoe, who toured some health facilities administering medical care to the injured after the explosion.

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.

It is about time we take a second look at the citing of gas stations in our country, and ensure the strict enforcement of … 1/2

— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) December 22, 2016

… and adherence to safety regulations, so as to forestall the occurrence of any more of such avoidable incidents. 2/2

— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) December 22, 2016

He also called for the “strict enforcement of and adherence to safety regulations, so as to forestall the occurrence of any more of such avoidable incidents.”

Nana Akufo-Addo was on a thank you tour of the three northernmost regions when the news of the explosion broke. He extended his condolences to the bereaved and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

“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,” the President-elect said.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Labadi explosion: Time for strict enforcement of safety regulations – Nana Addo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.