5 disasters that courted national attention in the last decade

Apiate explosion leaves many injured, 13 confirmed dead

Government promises to rebuild homes for victims

The latest incident of an explosion in Apiate in the Western Region has once again brought to the fore disasters that court national attention.

The impact of the explosion that occurred on Thursday January 20, 2022 add to a list of horrific disasters – be they natural or manmade – to have been recorded in Ghana’s history.

According to a Ghana Police Service statement, preliminary investigations established that a mining explosive vehicle moving from Tarkwa to Chirano mines collided with a motorcycle resulting in the explosion.
Several people have been reported dead with many others sustaining various degrees of injuries.

As the conversation rages on about the Apiate explosion, GhanaWeb takes a look at other disasters that rocked the nation and had Ghanaians uniting in grief.

Melcom building collapse

The nation came to a standstill on November 7, 2012 following news reports of the collapse of a six-storey rented building at Achimota housing a branch of the Melcom Group of Companies.

The structure was razed down during early shopping hours. It left scores of people trapped in the rubble whiles others lost their lives in the instant.

An 18-man team from Israel arrived in the country with specially trained dogs to help in the rescue mission

June 3 flood and fire disaster

What started as a regular rainfall in the capital city would later turn out to be a very sad day for the country.

From a slow start, the rain quickly increased in torrents and flooded most parts of the Kwame Nkrumah Circle on June 3, 2015.

According to reports, whiles it was raining there was also a fuel leakage from a Goil Service Station in the area which was ignited by a cigarette remnant that caused the devastating fire and flood catastrophe.

The incident left many burnt beyond recognition and a total of 154 death recorded.

President at the time, John Dramani Mahama declared a 3-day national mourning over the incident

Atomic Gas Explosion

Residents of Madina and Atomic junction were jolted on the evening of Saturday October 7, 2017 as they had to ran for their lives following a gas explosion within rage.

It is still unknown what may have caused the explosion but accounts from eye-witnesses indicated that the explosion struck when a gas tanker was offloading its contents at a station.

The fire instantly spread to a fuel station adjacent to the gas filling station causing death and destruction.

A statement from the University of Ghana indicated that twenty (20) of its students were injured in the process.

Akyem Batabi church building collapse

A five-storey church building belonging to the Church of Prosperity collapsed at Akyem Batabi in the Eastern Region, trapping some worshippers in the debris in October 2020.

Online news portal graphiconline.com.gh reporter in the area Samuel Kyei-Boateng reported that about 65 worshippers were in the building at the time of the collapse.

Eastern Region National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) official Richard Amo-Yartey in an update on the situation on October 24 said that at least 22 people, including a baby, were killed.

The incident sparked conversations on the structural integrity of buildings and for weeks dominated the media landscape.

Apiate explosion

The country was on Thursday January 20, 2022, thrown into a state of shock as viral videos emerged of an explosion in the Western Region, specifically the town of Apiate. Razed down buildings, with reports of 13 deaths and scores injured.

The police in a statement explained that preliminary investigation had established that a mining explosive vehicle moving from Tarkwa to Chirano mines collided with a motorcycle resulting in the explosion.

Reports suggest the town has been left almost deserted following the incident.

Rescue efforts are currently underway with several people reported dead and others receiving treatment at hospitals for their various injuries.