Regulatory authorities chop blame as death toll from Shama quarry explosion in Ghana rise

Anoda pesin don die from di explosion wey happun for quarry site for Western region in Ghana on Sunday.

Di emergency response team for site find four bodies wia dem burn beyond recognition.

But dem don find anoda body now as di death toll reach five. Out of di five, three be Ghanaians wia two be Chinese and some odas remain missing.

Excavators work overnight to see say dem go find some pesin wey trap under di rubble.

Wetin happun

Assembly member for di Shama area, Emmanuel Ewuewie tok say di explosion affect plenty houses den facilities for di area.

Di Shama clinic be one of di facilities wey don scatter.

Emmanuel tok say “twenty two workers dem bin dey on duty during di incident, I take two go hospital as I reach di site.”

Im add say six odas dey critical condition for di hospital before dem reach there.

Tori be say di site, Omni quarry don dey keep explosives wia dem dey use for blasting works for di site.

Na so di explosive catch fire wia di blast happun Sunday dawn.

Oga for di Western region minerals commission, Isaac Mwinbelle don tok say dem gather say “di pipo dey keep surplus of dia explosives for di same room di workers dey sleep.”

Di law say make managers of such quarries “send surplus explosives go three designated magazines for di western region, but ibi like di workers for di site no do am.”

Di western region be hub for plenty mining and quarry activities.

Many companies dey there dey operate - some of dem be for foreigners.

Di Omni quarry (sta addsams enterprise) be one of di companies wia get joint ownership.

Alreadi, national disaster management organzation (Nadmo) officer for di Shama district don tok say, dem “dey struggle to access di company site for monitoring long before di incident.”

Emmanuel Nyan add say whenever dia men go supervision rounds, di company managers dey do dem wayo.

Appiatse explosion happun 2022

On 20 January 2022, one deadly explosion happun for Appiate for di same western region wia kill sixteen pipo.

Four hundred and ninety odas hurt for di incident dat day.

All di houses, schools, churches don scatter as one truck wey dey carry mining explosives blast for di area.

Some of di victims still dey receive treatment more than one year since di incident, odas don get permanent deformities.

Public relations officer for di Appiate disaster relief committee, Thywill Quarshie tok say “some of di survivors still dey battle for dia lives, one year afta.”

Di committee “dey use moni wey pipo donate for di disaster fund to cater for dia medical bills den oda needs.”

Di survivors den oda residents also still dey live for temporary shelter as di site wia goment promise say dem go reconstruct den resettle dem, no complete.

Goment in February 2022 fine Maxam Ghana limited, di company responsible for dat explosion, $6m afta investigations.

Di committee wia probe di matter find regulatory violations for how di company dey manufacture, store den transport mining explosives.

Na so di lands and natural resources ministry tok say dem go “enforce di regulation on mining den explosive handling by these companies.”

But twenty months later anoda explosion don happun.

Who go take di blame?

Experts say di regulatory agencies for take di blame.

One mining engineer Theophilus Dzimega don tok say “dis incident for no happun if di regulators do dia work well, especially afta di January 2022 incident.”

Im wonder if di minerals commission get di capacity to supervise all di companies den dia activities for di mining sector.

Oga Dzimega say di law dey show how these companies for use explosives for dia sites, den where dem for store am.

But “ibi like somebody no do im job na so dis blast happun.”

Im also question di western region minister Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah im comment for di accident scene say “di omni quarry company no get full license.”

Theophilus say “di company for either get license or dem no get, I no understand wetin di minister dey tok say dem no get full license. That be where wahala dey.”

Minerals commission findings

Di minerals commission don tok for fresh statement say “di quarry company im operations for di site be illegal because dem no get lease from di lands ministry den di commission.”

Di commission also tok say “workers for di site dey work at night say dem go avoid di attention of regulatory agencies.”

Dem say dem find barrels wey suppose contain diesel den cigarette pieces for di site, wia all facilities den cars don scatter.