Fuel Tanker Explosion Claims 2 Lives in Afigya Kwabre South District
- A fuel tanker explosion in Adubinsu left two dead and multiple properties destroyed
- Eyewitness reported that the driver of the tanker lost control due to brake failure before the explosion
- Authorities investigated the incident as emergency services managed the aftermath of the explosion
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Two people have died following a fuel tanker explosion at Adubinsu in the Afigya Kwabre South District of the Ashanti Region.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, June 4, 2026.
Source: Facebook
Citi News reported that an eyewitness said the tanker was travelling from Edwenase towards Adubinsu when the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle due to brake failure.
The tanker is reported to have somersaulted and exploded, sparking a fire that destroyed six container shops and a nearby house.
He further disclosed that the mate of the vehicle was rushed to the Tafo Government Hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Police Service were deployed to the scene to bring the situation under control.
The identities of the deceased driver and his mate have not yet been released. Police say investigations are ongoing.
Residents risk their lives to siphon fuel from tanker
There have been instances in the past of people rushing to crashed tankers to siphon fuel.
On January 27, a fuel tanker overturned on the Nsawam Road near Panpaso, drawing a crowd of residents to the scene.
Some onlookers then started to siphon the fuel from the crashed tanker, despite the immense risk to their lives.
The accident on the morning of January 27 led to part of the road leading to Nsawam being blocked.
The eventual presence of officers from the Ghana National Fire Service did not deter some of the people rushing for the fuel, said to be diesel.
Similar situations involving fuel
Similar situations have occurred in the past, mostly involving fuel tankers. For example, in Bimbila in the northern region, residents rushed to a tanker transporting fuel following a 2022 crash.
Residents from the area came to the scene carrying containers to collect some petrol gushing from the tanker.
Source: Getty Images
Although the police attempted to evict the citizens, it proved impossible until the fire department showed up and began saturating the area with water.
Also, in 2022, a fuel tanker accident in Kaase in the Ashanti Region offered locals a difficult but risk-free option to make quick money.
Why siphoning fuel from crashed tankers is dangerous
Alex King Nartey, a Ghana National Fire Service officer and fire safety expert, stressed the flammable nature of the fumes from fuel, which are highly flammable and a major danger.
He explained that the least combustion, like excessive heat or sparks from a transformer or power line in the vicinity of such a crash, could prove deadly.
"These fuel vapours can travel very far and might end up causing an explosion or firequite far away from the tanker because people are siphoning them, and as they carry the fuel, there may be traces, and all these will contribute to a buildup of the vapour.”
Beyond the combustion concerns, Nartey also reminded that these fumes can be toxic to people who get too close.
"These fuels are toxic. It may end up making people nauseous, dizzy, rendering them unconscious or even lead to death because they end up inhaling this vapour instead of oxygen.”
Nartey noted that the recommended buffer for people at fuel tanker crash sites is 100 to 300 metres.
Truck crashes into Suame Police Headquarters
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a woman was killed and a baby was critically injured after a truck crashed into the Suame Divisional Police Headquarters building in the Ashanti Region on Thursday, November 16, 2023.
Witness reports indicated that the truck had a brake pad malfunction, leading to the incident.
Source: YEN.com.gh
